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From: curry@hpl.hp.com (Bo Curry)
Subject: Re: What's innate? (Was Re: Artificial Neural Networks and Cognition
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Date: Wed, 8 Feb 1995 03:05:45 GMT
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: >All known stable languages (i.e. excluding Pidgins) have many
: >commonalities of sytactical relations.

Neil Rickert (rickert@cs.niu.edu) wrote:
: I have not denied this.  All know cultures have similarities in the
: type of information that they communicate with their languages, so it
: should not be surprising if there are similarities in the languages.
: By itself, that provides no substantial evidence of an innate
: component of grammar.

Except that there is no connection I know of between the functional
constraints and the grammatical regularities. A viable alternative
theory to Chomsky's would have to show why the nature of reality
maps onto, or imposes, the observed constraints. Such an alternative
theory is certainly conceivable, but you have not produced one
(nor has anyone else, to my knowledge).

: >                                       These constitute,
: >or arise from, or are constrained by the UG.

: To make such an assertion rather begs the question as to whether
: universal properties are mere statistical commonalities, or
: whether they are causal.

Well, yes, of course. The above assertion was a restatement of the
hypothesis of the UG (as I understand it). Therefore it was to
be taken as a statement of what is to be shown, rather than as
part of the argument. Rephrase it as:

  "These, according to the hypothesis of the UG, are the
   observed regularities which constitute, or arise from, or are
   constrained by the UG."

: >                                             If you want to argue
: >this in detail (which might be interesting - I actually know
: >rather more about vision than I do about grammar) let's
: >take it to another thread. Consider the (rough) analogy for
: >yourself, ignoring (if you would be so kind) the rather
: >crude and incomplete expression I have given it here.

: I have not studied vision thoroughly enough to feel like engaging in
: a debate.

That's just as well.

Bo
