Abstract
Using the preceding chapter as a point of departure, this chapter offers a critical perspective on the notion of innate universals. It presents a " minimal nativism" view, according to which a brain area should be seen as embodying a kind of language universal if it is genetically predisposed toward fulfilling a certain sufficiently general linguistic function, for example by virtue of its strategic connectivity. On this view, Broca's area could still count as the brain locus of a linguistic universal, even if it supports other functions beside language.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Language Universals |
| Editors | Morten H. Christiansen, Christopher Collins, Shimon Edelman |
| Place of Publication | Oxford, United Kingdom |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press |
| Pages | 1-14 |
| Number of pages | 14 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9780199866953 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9780195305432 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 May 2009 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Broca's area
- Human brain
- Innate universals
- Language universals
- Minimal nativism
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