Morten Christiansen

When language was innovated, what happened next? How did it change our abilities — and our responsibilities — to each other? Dr Nick Enfield shares ideas from his new book, Consequences of Language. Plus: Have large language models (like GPT) disproven a key tenet of the innateness of language? Dr Morten Christiansen takes us through the implications for nativism and language learning.

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.

Join Nick Chater, Professor of Behavioural Science, and Morten H. Christiansen, Professor of Psychology, as they unravel the intricate world of language in their thought-provoking discussion. They challenge the conventional notion of fixed linguistic rules, highlighting language as a collaborative, evolving process. Delving into the improvisational nature of communication, they explore how social contexts shape language use. The conversation also touches on the complexities of Danish, the adaptability of English, and the stark differences between human creativity in language and computer processing.