You mean you think Chomsky was wrong that we have an
innate capacity to produce grammatically structured
linguistic expressions? What is "essentialist" about
this idea, btw, and what is "essentialism"? The idea
that that the capacity is innate? Note that Chomsky
does not make the mistake of saying that it is rigidly
manifested the same =way (since different languages
have different grammars) regardless of environmental
circumstances (because not only doers the grammar you
use depends on the languages you learn, but some some
lack the capacity entirely or can have it destroyed
bad adverse physical or social circumstances? Is
essential ism the the claim that there is anything
innate about any aspect our behavior, the denial of
the claim that wee are absolutely blank slates and all
of our behavior is due to social conditioning? The
term is vague in the extreme.
>
> However, I do think that Chomsky was dead wrong in
> his essentialist
> linguistic position.
>
> Joanna
>
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