Language use & design: conflicts & their significance | Prof Noam Chomsky

04 April 2013 - Noam Chomsky - 'Language Use and Design: conflicts and their significance'

In this talk hosted by UCD School of Philosophy, University College Dublin, and the Royal Irish Academy, Dublin, Noam Chomsky discusses his latest views on the nature and function of language. The lecture is followed by a wide ranging question and answer session covering topics both in linguistics and the philosophy of language.

In the field of linguistics, Noam Chomsky, who has taught at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) since 1955, is credited with the creation of the theory of generative grammar, often considered the most significant contribution to the field of theoretical linguistics of the 20th century.

He first set out his abstract analysis of language in his doctoral dissertation (1955) and Syntactic Structures (1957). He also helped spark the cognitive revolution in psychology through his review of B. F. Skinner's Verbal Behavior, which challenged the behaviorist approach to the study of mind and language dominant in the 1950s. His naturalistic approach to the study of language has also affected the philosophy of language and mind. He is also credited with the establishment of the 'Chomsky hierarchy,' a classification of formal languages in terms of their generative power.

Daniel Yergin, a New York Times Magazine contributor maintains that "where others heard only a Babel of fragments, he found a linguistic order. His work has been compared to the unraveling of the genetic code of the DNA molecule."

He further declares that Chomsky's discoveries in linguistics have had an impact "on everything from the way children are taught foreign languages to what it means when we say that we are human."

[tomfreemanorourke]

Noam my almost seven decades (I am 68 yoa) I have been privileged to see and hear many eminent thinkers and observers of all the humanities who's thoughts /writing and influences have now become digitised and therefore available to those lifelong investigators like myself. Bless him ...love always

[markward]

Who would dislike this video. Chomsky is brilliant and has empathy. Few scientists are willing to go against the dogma that makes it way into science; Chomsky is one of those in our time. He thinks outside the box, poses fresh and important questions. Best to him and us. Let's keep learning and make our world a better place.

[dolphinholmer]

I love the puckish joy he clearly takes in setting up his talk with his analysis of the classical formulation that goes back to Aristotle that language is 'sound with meaning.'

"That raises three questions at once; what is sound, what is meaning and what is with?"
Brilliant! And no-one laughs. Tough crowd you get at these Chomsky gigs.

[driziiD]

i could listen to Prof. Chomsky talk forever. the man is brilliant. so brilliant that he's innovated in Linguistics, Computer Science, Politics naturally from asking questions.

[selmandjeffal]

I m a big fan of noam chomsky, you know I m preparing my doctorate in the field of robotics but I tend to constantly listen to chomsky's great and pleasant voice and brillaint ideas . what a creature ! I really love him . one of my goals in life is to just shake hands with him .

[fastballonly]

I get so excited when I find Chomsky's presentation on Linguistics. It is like 1 out of 50 videos of his. Most are on politics and others. After all, this is his element. A living legend of the discipline.

Thank you for posting!!

[stevengill]

I've appreciated Noam more and more since I was introduced to his teachings forty years ago...now YouTube is almost an embarrassment of riches...Cheers Noam, and thank you kindly.

[bcci]

I am a Muslim but I have too much respect for Mr. Noam Chomsky. In this age and time his personality is nothing less the a prophets for peace for mankind. I wish humanity could give such people there due credit socially.

[fastballonly]

Chomsky's contribution to (bio)linguistics and cognitive science, philosophy of mind and beyond are extremely outstanding. I mean, it is like watching Newton or Galileo alive. Though it is absurd to compare it to his contribution in political philosophy, his linguistic contribution is overwhelmingly revolutionary. (pls don't get me wrong, his contribution in politics is enormous and I recognize that)

[homayounshirazi]

Amazing person in many respects. Knowledge is only one of those.

[wasim]

He is The Man. The Legend. His own people abandoned him. Americans dont listen to him because he speaks the truth with logic and undeniable reasoning.

[mounirfed]

So lucky to live in the era of #Chomsky.

[hirotakakawano]

The concept of universal grammar not only leads to an innovative understanding of linguistics, ideas, philosophy, history and science , but also to an understanding of human nature, value of existence, and the distinction between humans and other living things.

[stevenhines]

Yknow what's great about chomsky is that if you listen carefully - and you might need to listen over and over - but if you listen carefully, he makes all these ideas intelligible and accessible. You don't need specialized training to grasp Chomskyan linguistics. You won't be a technical expert but you can understand all the concepts. He makes me want to study philosophy. I wish I knew a really good philosophy professor who could tell me what texts to start with. I think he is also being clear like this to speak to the technical community. He is making sure they don't misunderstand what is attributed to him and also imploring them to stop talking in jargon. I picked up on this when he critiqued French post-modern literary analysis. He basically said they were being deliberately obscure out of fear that nobody would take them seriously if they were simply direct and concise.

[duaneholmes]

I woke up to “water”…
I believe it’s one the most brilliant, mentally stimulating thoughts that I’ve ever heard. I love, and hope to one day, have the sheer laser focus that Professor Chomsky has demonstrated to the world since he was very young. Amazingly at 94 it seems that the thing that has slowed down is body and his deep thoughts are just as clear as a bell and 👋🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽✌🏽👁️⚡️🐝😎

[shannontracy]

Language = Application of meaning to abstract substitutive symbols.
Or
Language = organization of meaning via abstract symbols.

I think the first is better as it builds on something we do elsewhere, we substitute one thing for another. For example, we want food, but we substitute money for food in our goals, then use the money to get the food.

[alanbooth]

pure gold- this goes to the heart of our ability to conceptualize the world at all with language or more drastically it is all idealism in the end - i think that the idea of reference neatly and economically sums up what must be in the end the core question of philosophy

[Italkangoor]

what an invaluable way to use some hours of my life, listening to a much more intellectually gifted human being than yours truly. Grazie a million😊

[dowdsann]

why not come closer to ask question as Pro Noam Chomsky hearing declines. He is a true treasure thank you so much

[mayakronfeld]

All the comments about Chomsky's superior intelligence are decidedly anti-Chomskian! Remember, he says that human beings are fundamentally identical to each other with respect to their capacities.  Don't miss the egalitarian message.