Monday Musings: Language as a Window

Some people might have noticed that - since a few years ago - I've been writing more about language topics. It's something that I've come to think of more and more these past years, especially since I started learning Spanish and also helping international students with their writing.

I saw this video, and thought that this encapsulates so many of the points of why I might have become more interested in yet another topic of study that isn't technically mine or in my field of study.

Steven Pinker - Psychologist, Cognitive Scientist, and Linguist at Harvard University

How did humans acquire language? In this lecture, best-selling author Steven Pinker introduces you to linguistics, the evolution of spoken language, and the debate over the existence of an innate universal grammar. He also explores why language is such a fundamental part of social relationships, human biology, and human evolution. Finally, Pinker touches on the wide variety of applications for linguistics, from improving how we teach reading and writing to how we interpret law, politics, and literature.

The Floating University
Originally released September, 2011.