Re: Blank slate learning

On 19 Apr 2008 17:52:10 GMT, curt@xxxxxxxx (Curt Welch) wrote:

Tim Tyler <seemysig@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Curt Welch wrote:

The question isn't about our innate ability to learn, the question is
about what we know at birth what we don't know. We don't know English
at birth. WE don't know _any_ language at birth. We instead, have an
innate ability to _learn_ language.

Why is it so hard for people to grasp this distinction?

The argument is about language elements which are apparently
not learned - but are built in:

``Much of the book refers to Chomsky's concept of a
universal grammar, a meta-grammar into which all human
languages fit. Pinker explains that a universal grammar
represents specific structures in the human brain that
recognize the general rules of other humans' speech, such
as whether the local language places adjectives before or
after nouns, and begin a specialized and very rapid
learning process not explainable as reasoning from first
principles or pure logic.''

- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Language_Instinct

Well again, I think they are talking about powers of the underlying blank
slate learning systems without understanding that is what they are talking
about.

This debate won't be resolved until we develop machines that can duplicate
human language skills.

I think this debate can be resolved now and it shows that the
Chomskyan concept of a special language organ (i.e., Broca's area) is
hogwash. It is true that Broca's area is involved in language
production/learning but it is also involved in such things as humming
or whistling a tune. This is only because Broca's area sends and
receives signals directly to and from the moto-cortical areas that
control the mouth and throat muscles. Deaf people learn to use sign
language, not with their Broca's areas but with other parts of the
cortex that control arm and hand muscles. It follows that the
"specialness" that Chomsky's followers love to talk about is a myth.
Language acquisition does not involve a special pre-programmed
sensori-motor organ any more than grasping, swimming or walking. IOW,
there is nothing inherently different between learning how to walk and
learning how to talk. There is no specialness and there has never been
any.

So yes, as far as learning language skills are concerned, it is all
blank slate learning. Chomsky is out to lunch. Has been for some time.

Louis Savain

Rebel Science News:
http://rebelscience.blogspot.com/
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Strong AI Thesis (No Chinese room, I promise)
    ... with the idea of a generic learning system at work. ... make vision work better, and language work better, etc. ... Logic, mathematics, and scientific method ology have ... recognized the limitations which linguistic practices im pose on ...
    (comp.ai.philosophy)
  • Re: Gradual Learning, not Reinforcement Learning
    ... You seem to believe that "learning" means acquiring behaviours the system has never exhibited before. ... You use learning HORSE as an example, and posit HOXEL as an intermediate stage, with HORSE as an "ideal" to be achieved. ... Firstly, the system must be capable of "producing language", else it cannot learn the semantic difference between HORSE and HOTEL, both of which are easy consequences of HOXEL. ...
    (comp.ai.philosophy)
  • The Gaelic Society of Moscow speaks out!
    ... TEN REASONS FOR LEARNING IT ... ©Gaelic Society of Moscow,2003 ... language if you have few opportunities to use it in addition, ...
    (soc.culture.scottish)
  • Re: The Gaelic Society of Moscow speaks out!
    ... TEN REASONS FOR LEARNING IT ... ©Gaelic Society of Moscow,2003 ... language if you have few opportunities to use it in addition, ...
    (soc.culture.scottish)
  • Re: Opinions on intro lisp books
    ... But Lisp is a little different, ... Some languages support one style of programming better than they ... Even if that weren't the case, I'm not sure that a language being a ... I don't believe that learning to program in CL requires more theory ...
    (comp.lang.lisp)