#130 Iris Berent: Linguistics, Skinner and Chomsky, Spoken and Written Language
Dr. Iris Berent is Professor of Psychology at Northeastern University, US. Her research examines the nature of linguistic competence, its origins, and its interaction with reading ability. She’s the author of the book The Phonological Mind. She will also be releasing a new book in the near future, The Blind Storyteller.
In this episode, we talk about what is Linguistics, and how it’s done nowadays; what is innate and learned in language; if we are the only species that has language; why written language is different from spoken language, and why it’s more difficult to learn; and also if language influences how we perceive things in the world.
Time Links:
What do we study in Linguistics?
Skinner, Chomsky, and language acquisition
The innateness of language
The relationship between sounds and the things they refer to
Language, cognition, and the body
Do other animals have language?
Spoken language and sign language
Critical periods in language acquisition
About studies on feral children
Written language
To what extent does language influence the way we think?
Follow Dr. Berent’s work!
Follow Dr. Berent’s work:
Faculty page: https://cos.northeastern.edu/faculty/iris-berent/
Phonology and Reading Laboratory: https://tinyurl.com/yafkqedp
Book “The Phonological Mind”: https://tinyurl.com/yca9up5x