List of Figures. Foreward. Preface. 1. Language and Intelligence:. Introducing Christopher. Theoretical Background. Hypotheses. 2. The First Language:. Introduction. Syntax. Semantics. Pragmatics. Conclusion. 3. a Seconda Languages:. Introduction. Background Information. The lexicon. Syntax. Conclusion. 4. New Languages: . Rationale. Controlled input: Berber. Learning an Impossible Language: Epun. Conclusions. 5. Language and Mind:. Christophera s Translation. A model of the mind. Theory of mind and meta--representation. Summary and conclusions. Epilogue. Appendices. Notes. References. Index.

The Mind of a Savant: Language learning and Modularity (Japanese Translation)

An fMRI (functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging) study published in 2014 established that comprehension of computer programs occurs in the same regions of the brain that process natural languages---not logic, not math. The unexpectedness of this result was primed in part by the widespread belief that the language aspects of learning how to program are trivial when compared to learning to use programming languages for engineering tasks. In fact, though, the fMRI data is compelling cognitive evidence for the argument that the reason students have been failing introductory programming courses in large numbers---for decades---is because CS educators have underestimated the importance of teaching programming languages as languages per se. Despite the availability of this non-invasive technology for well over two decades, educators have neither researched the cognitive complexities of how programming languages might be acquired, nor tried to seriously understand this process in any degree of depth. Consequently, they have failed to consider what this evidence now implies: (a) that programming languages, despite being artificial languages, are alive in the brains of programmers in much the same way as any natural language that those programmers speak; and (b) that this new information about the cognitive aspects of programming languages has profound pedagogic implications.

The introductory computer programming course is first and foremost a language course

Knowledge of Language: Noam Chomsky’s Innateness Thesis

particularly those who are engaged in the education of socially disadvantaged groups. However, it might have been helpful if the authors had provided a list of tools used by them, together with the correlation matrices that appear to have been the basis of some of the generalisations that they have made. Further, in several tables the sum of the percentages of components adds up to more than a hundred. Although this sort of error may not affect the results of the study, it does point to the need for greater care in presenting data.

Ayesha Kidwai

Papers

Knowledge of Language: Noam Chomsky’s Innateness Thesis

Review: Hindi: An Essential Grammar