Horizon

"Language defines us as humans"
Language = ability to transmit thoughts
Babies pick up language with minimal effort
Nature vs Nurture
How we learn to speak is still a mystery

Deb Roy - Cognitive psychologist -> turns house into 24 hour surveillance of his baby "speech-home project".
Captured every moment from birth - 3 years old
Babbles - one word - two words - more complex

Talk to children in positive ways "positive reinforcement"
Parents simplify their speech -> elongate gaps between words
Convergence: adapting language to audience
"Parentese"
At first phonological awareness outdoes semantic awareness
By the time a child is 5 they'll know ~5000 words
As they grow up they learn 3000 words a year
When a child doesn't know a noun they'll use determiners eg. "that's a" "that one"
Voicebox low down in the throat of humans giving us the ability to make a variety of noises
All points towards being born with the ability to pickup and use language without being taught

Noam Chomsky:
Forbidden Experiment = isolated baby
Noam Chomskys "L.A.D" language acquisition device