FYSP 019 - The Nature of Human Language

FC SSCI WINT

4 credits
The study of human language is fundamental to understanding human nature itself. Our questions include: What properties of language inform our understanding of ourselves as a species? How might human language be fundamentally different from other animal communication systems? How did language evolve-did linguistic complexity emerge gradually over time, or did the capacity for complex language develop suddenly? Is there a Universal Grammar shared by all humans?