Learning Language: Biological, Cultural, or Both?

Tyler Gunnin
English 1101
Dr. Hughes
9/25/09

Thesis Statement- As we develop and mature as humans into the full perspective of the world and the languages it has to offer, the genes given to us from our parents that give us the knowledge of language, is also supported through the outside surroundings giving us our education of speaking through both biological and cultural methods.

Quote 1
Children will learn their native language adequately whatever anyone does, and the attempt to teach them language is fraught with psychological perils... But happily, since every child is a linguistic genius, there is no need to do any such thing. Every child will have the linguistic equipment he needs, merely by virtue of growing older. -Theodore Dalrymple "The Gift of Language"

I plan to use this in my essay to show that he is describing that we learn language as we grow older in a biological and cultural sense. He notes children learn adequately whatever anyone does, and by the virtue of growing older. The fact that he states this shows that I can have a counterargument and credibility.

Quote 2
If so, why choose language of all the gifts that they gave him? Presumably, he means that they gave him the opportunity to learn standard English, even if they did not speak it themselves. -Theodore Dalrymple "The Gift of Language"

I plan on using this in my essay by showing that this quote states that our parents give us the opportunity to not only learn english, but it also says that even if they did not speak the language that is being learned, the culture affects our knowledge of language. This also gives a nice counterargument to the matter at hand.

Quote 3
Over and over again, Pinker stresses that children do not learn language by imitation; rather, they learn it because they are biologically predestined to do so. “Let us do away,” he writes, with what one imagines to be a rhetorical sweep of his hand, “with the folklore that parents teach their children language.” It comes as rather a surprise, then, to read the book’s dedication: “For Harry and Roslyn Pinker, who gave me language.” -Theodore Dalrymple "The Gift of Language"

I plan on using this in my essay as another counterargument and for establishing credibility. Pinker states that we are predestined to learn language. Although he says this in his writing, he dedicates his book to his parents who gave him language. By doing this, it shows that Pinker is in agreement that although we may be influenced by the culture around us, we are also given the genes to learn and speak language by our parents.