Intelligence Squared Archive: The Psychology of Language, with Morten Christiansen and Nick Chater
Sep 15, 2024
Morten Christiansen, a professor at Cornell, and Nick Chater, a behavioral science expert at Warwick, dive into the fascinating world of language in their insightful discussion. They explore language's playful nature and its evolution through social interactions, challenging conventional views. The duo highlights the link between language, social status, and creativity in dialects. They also discuss the cognitive benefits of multilingualism and the limits of machine translation, emphasizing the irreplaceable essence of human communication.
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Language as Charades
- Language is created through dialogue, like a game of charades, evoking ideas in others' minds.
- This contrasts with the monologue-focused view of language as primarily for internal thought.
Communication vs. Thought
- Many linguists, including Chomsky, argue that language is primarily for thinking, not communication.
- Christiansen and Chater challenge this, emphasizing the communicative role of language, requiring imagination and creativity.
Language Games
- Language is used in specific social interactions, like Wittgenstein's "language games."
- These games are local and require imagination, evolving and generalizing over time.
