The Interactional Instinct The Evolution and Acquisition of Language

• Main Authors: Lee, Namhee, Mikesell, Lisa, Joaquin, Anna Dina L, Mates, Andrea W, Schumann, John H
• Format: eBook
• Language: English
• Published: New York Oxford University Press 01.08.2009; Oxford University Press, Incorporated
• Edition: 1
• Subjects: Anthropological Linguistics; Language Acquisition; Language and languages; Language Evolution; Origin; Social interaction; Sociolinguistics; second-language learning; complex adaptive system; general learning mechanisms; language acquisition; language; aptitude; evolution; interactional instinct
• ISBN: 0195384245; 9780195384246; 0195384237; 9780195384239
• DOI: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195384246.001.0001

This book explores a theory of language evolution as a complex adaptive system that exists as a cultural artifact without any requirement for innate abstract grammatical representations. Language acquisition is seen as an emotionally driven process relying on innately specified “interactional instinct.” This genetically-based tendency provides neural structures that entrain children acquiring their native language to the faces, voices, and body movements of conspecific caregivers. It is essentially an innate attentional and motivational system, which drives children to pay attention to the language interaction in their environment and to acquire that language by general learning mechanisms that subserve declarative and procedural knowledge. This mechanism guarantees the ubiquity of language acquisition for all biologically normal children. Second-language acquisition by older adolescents and adults no longer has recourse to this mechanism, and therefore, success in second-language learning is extremely variable. However, in some individuals with sufficient aptitude and motivation, successful second-language acquisition can be achieved.