factual

Grammar Is the Least Likely Part to Be Innate

While humans are biologically evolved to use language—prepared with capacities for concept formation, communication, imitation, and internalization—the specific generative grammar/syntax that Chomsky proposed as innate is actually the least likely aspect of language to be innate, because grammatical structures vary substantially across the world's languages even as concepts and pragmatic principles show commonalities.

factualpending

Speaker

Michael Tomasello

Evidence Quote

the actual grammatical structures are quite different in different languages. So I actually think that's the least likely thing to be innate out of all the aspects of language.

Source

225 | Michael Tomasello on The Social Origins of Cognition and AgencySean Carroll's Mindscape
Created: 6/13/2026, 12:05:28 AM

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