Media: BBC Website, "First Lang Gene Discovered"
| Submitter: |
Martin Wynne
|
| Submitter Email: | martin.wynne@ota.ahds.ac.uk |
| Media Body: |
An article on the BBC website reports claims to have found the language gene. You can read it online a http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/2192969.stm. The journalist seems to me to have confused grammatical and articulatory ability. The article appears to claim that the gene sequence in question controls facial muscles, yet a mistake in this sequence causes agrammaticism. The field of linguistics is summarised in the article: "Scientists argue that there must be a genetic basis to speech and language. It is universal, complex and acquired almost instinctively by children at a young age." Discuss! __ Martin Wynne martin.wynne@ota.ahds.ac.uk Linguistics Officer Oxford Text Archive </body> |
| Issue Number: | 13.2096 |
| Date Posted: | August 15, 2002 |
