Originally Posted By: zmjezhd
Chomsky posits that Universal Grammar is part of the human brain.

People who study human prehistory are beginning to agree with him in principle. Something happened to humans about 40,000 years ago in the Near East or eastern Europe. Many believe it involved a leap in language ability. Some call it the "Great Leap." Ideas about what it may have been include 1) the "invention" of grammar (more likely a genetic change that allowed the concept of grammar to be realized,) 2) the development of the conditional tense, 3) and others, all related to language, that I don't recall offhand. Whatever happened marked the emergence of Modern Humans, with whom we could probably converse and share any complex thoughts we may have. Art and other symbolism, the concept of an after-life, and other features of humanity all appear in the blink (a geological blink, that is) of an eye.

Last edited by beck123; 02/27/10 05:45 PM.
"I don't know which is worse: ignorance or apathy. And, frankly, I don't care." - Anonymous