An-Instinct--to-Acquire-an-Art

1AnInstincttoAcquireanArtAsyouarereadingthesewords,youaretakingpartinoneofthewondersofthenaturalworld.ForyouandIbelongtoaspecieswitharemarkableability:wecanshapeeventsineachother'sbrainswithexquisiteprecision.Iamnotreferringtotelepathyormindcontrolortheotherobsessionsoffringescience;eveninthedepic-tionsofbelieversthesearebluntinstrumentscomparedtoanabilitythatisuncontroversiallypresentineveryoneofus.Thatabilityislanguage.Simplybymakingnoiseswithourmouths,wecanreliablycauseprecisenewcombinationsofideastoariseineachother'sminds.Theabilitycomessonaturallythatweareapttoforgetwhatamiracleitis.Soletmeremindyouwithsomesimpledemonstrations.Askingyouonlytosurrenderyourimaginationtomywordsforafewmoments,Icancauseyoutothinksomeveryspecificthoughts:Whenamaleoctopusspotsafemale,hisnormallygrayishbodysuddenlybecomesstriped.Heswimsabovethefemaleandbeginscaressingherwithsevenofhisarms.Ifsheallowsthis,hewillquicklyreachtowardherandsliphiseightharmintoherbreathingtube.Aseriesofspermpacketsmovesslowlythroughagrooveinhisarm,finallytoslipintothemantlecavityofthefemale.Cherriesjubileeonawhitesuit?Wineonanaltarcloth?Applyclubsodaimmediately.Itworksbeautifullytoremovethestainsfromfabrics.WhenDixieopensthedoortoTad,sheisstunned,becauseshethoughthewasdead.Sheslamsitinhisfaceandthentriesto1516THELANGUAGEINSTINCTescape.However,whenTadsays,Iloveyou,sheletshimin.Tadcomfortsher,andtheybecomepassionate.WhenBrianinterrupts,DixietellsastunnedTadthatsheandBrianweremarriedearlierthatday.Withmuchdifficulty,DixieinformsBrianthatthingsarenowherenearfinishedbetweenherandTad.ThenshespillsthenewsthatJamieisTad'sson.Mywhat?saysashockedTad.Thinkaboutwhatthesewordshavedone.Ididnotsimplyremindyouofoctopuses;intheunlikelyeventthatyoueverseeonedevelopstripes,younowknowwhatwillhappennext.Perhapsthenexttimeyouareinasupermarketyouwilllookforclubsoda,oneoutofthetensofthousandsofitemsavailable,andthennottouchituntilmonthslaterwhenaparticularsubstanceandaparticularobjectaccidentallycometogether.Younowsharewithmillionsofotherpeoplethesecretsofprotagonistsinaworldthatistheproductofsomestranger'simagination,thedaytimedramaAllMyChildren.True,mydemonstrationsdependedonourabilitytoreadandwrite,andthismakesourcommunicationevenmoreimpressivebybridginggapsoftime,space,andacquaintanceship.Butwritingisclearlyanoptionalaccessory;therealengineofverbalcommunicationisthespokenlanguageweacquiredaschildren.Inanynaturalhistoryofthehumanspecies,languagewouldstandoutasthepreeminenttrait.Tobesure,asolitaryhumanisanimpres-siveproblem-solverandengineer.ButaraceofRobinsonCrusoeswouldnotgiveanextraterrestrialobserverallthatmuchtoremarkon.WhatistrulyarrestingaboutourkindisbettercapturedinthestoryoftheTowerofBabel,inwhichhumanity,speakingasinglelanguage,camesoclosetoreachingheaventhatGodhimselffeltthreatened.Acommonlanguageconnectsthemembersofacommu-nityintoaninformation-sharingnetworkwithformidablecollectivepowers.Anyonecanbenefitfromthestrokesofgenius,luckyacci-dents,andtrial-and-errorwisdomaccumulatedbyanyoneelse,pres-entorpast.Andpeoplecanworkinteams,theireffortscoordinatedbynegotiatedagreements.Asaresult,Homosapiensisaspecies,likeblue-greenalgaeandearthworms,thathaswroughtfar-reachingchangesontheplanet.ArcheologistshavediscoveredthebonesoftenthousandwildhorsesatthebottomofacliffinFrance,theremainsofherdsstampededovertheclifftopbygroupsofpaleolithichuntersseventeenthousandyearsago.Thesefossilsofancientcooper-AnInstincttoAcquireanArt17ationandsharedingenuitymayshedlightonwhysaber-toothtigers,mastodons,giantwoollyrhinoceroses,anddozensofotherlargemam-malswentextinctaroundthetimethatmodernhumansarrivedintheirhabitats.Ourancestors,apparently,killedthemoff.Languageissotightlywovenintohumanexperiencethatitisscarcelypossibletoimaginelifewithoutit.Chancesarethatifyoufindtwoormorepeopletogetheranywhereonearth,theywillsoonbeexchangingwords.Whenthereisnoonetotalkwith,peopletalktothemselves,totheirdogs,eventotheirplants.Inoursocialrela-tions,theraceisnottotheswiftbuttotheverbal—thespellbindingorator,thesilver-tonguedseducer,thepersuasivechildwhowinsthebattleofwillsagainstabrawnierparent.Aphasia,thelossoflanguagefollowingbraininjury,isdevastating,andinseverecasesfamilymem-bersmayfeelthatthewholepersonislostforever.Thisbookisabouthumanlanguage.Unlikemostbookswithlan-guageinthetitle,itwillnotchideyouaboutproperusage,tracetheoriginsofidiomsandslang,ordivertyouwithpalindromes,anagrams,eponyms,orthosepreciousnamesforgroupsofanimalslikeexalta-tionoflarks.ForIwillbewritingnotabouttheEnglishlanguageoranyotherlanguage,butaboutsomethingmuchmorebasic:theinstincttolearn,speak,andunderstandlanguage.Forthefirsttimeinhistory,thereissomethingtowriteaboutit.Somethirty-fiveyearsagoanewsciencewasborn.Nowcalledcognitivescience,itcom-binestoolsfrompsychology,computerscience,linguistics,philoso-phy,andneurobiologytoexplaintheworkingsofhumanintelligence.Thescienceoflanguage,inparticular,hasseenspectacularadvancesintheyearssince.Therearemanyphenomenaoflanguagethatwearecomingtounderstandnearlyaswellasweunderstandhowacam