English 1: Origins and Ends of Language

Publication Date

2025

Presentation Length

60 minutes

College

College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

Department

English, Department of

Student Level

Undergraduate

SPARK Category

Scholarship

Faculty Advisor

Maggie Monteverde

WELL Core Type

Intellectual Wellness

Metadata/Fulltext

Metadata ONLY

SPARK Session

Independent Presentation

Presentation Type

Talk/Oral

Summary

Session Title: Origins and Ends of Language

Presenter 1: Elena Amonette

Title: The Biology of Language

Abstract The concept of “nature” versus “nurture” has long been a question that humans have wrestled with understanding. Particularly in regard to language development, recent improvements in technology have allowed scientists to investigate the existence of an instinctual component of language. In his book The Language Instinct, renowned cognitive psychologist Dr. Steven Pinker discusses biological factors involved in language acquisition and usage, and these revelations largely form the basis of this research paper. First, this paper will open with an overview of necessary biological context, including a discussion of speech organs and known neurological language functions. After this basic framework has been established, it will move into a discussion of language development in children and critical periods of language acquisition. Following this, the paper will then turn to the evidence that indicates an innate understanding of grammar and syntax by synthesizing the work of many previous neuropsychologists and examining observations of similarities between languages. The benefits and potential system for the organization of this innate neural circuitry are then detailed to further underscore the biological advantages which have led to the evolution of an instinctual organized processing mechanism. The paper closes with theories surrounding this evolution of language and the emphasis of the many questions that still remain about language. The combination of two seemingly different fields of study in this paper serves to further explore the wonder and complexity of language and underscore how introducing a biological perspective can offer a unique viewpoint of the inexplicable phenomenon that is language.

Key Words: Language, biology, evolution, instinct, Pinker

Presenter 2: Will Coulthard

Title: He Said, She Said: Deconstructing Gender in Our Own World through Our Own Languages

Abstract Both language and gender are social constructs which we humans have created to produce an order to the world, and this essay illustrates the ways in which language influences both our perceptions of gender and the world of people who subvert so-called natural gender norms. Because gender, unlike sex, is a social construct to which we ascribe particular images and words, language can affect not only the identity of the person in question but also their relationships, careers, and societal attitudes toward gender. Ursula Le Guin, in her 1969 science fiction novel The Left Hand of Darkness, deconstructs our earthly notions of gender by positioning the reader alongside Genley in a genderless world. Her depiction of a biological sex from the viewpoint of a bisexual (in the Gethenian sense) pushes the reader to seek understanding and communication rather than retreating into the shell of their own misconceptions. This work expands upon Le Guin’s deconstruction of gender by looking at our own world and the languages which influence these earthly notions of gender. Everything from our gendering of nouns to the presence of gender pronouns can influence gender prejudice both in our subconscious and in the workplace. While these conversations are integral to expanding upon the ways language affects our worldview, the gender non-binary groups which often exist separate from these groups are similarly affected. Le Guin’s theories of wholeness and unity thanks to a common origin can be attributed to language as well: our languages were once one and developed differently by different peoples in the same way that each organism (Terrans, Gethenians, etc.) evolved in different environments. While wholeness and unity on a societal level is a rather utopian concept, individuals can use language to provide wholeness to the individual by recognizing their identity, story, and preferences. With a linguistic focus on the individual, we can work toward a more empathetic and welcoming world for the whole society

Key Words: language, gender, social-construct, LeGuin, science fiction

Presenter 3: Preston Fowler

Title: The Dialects of Computers

Abstract: Computers have become one of the main ways for people to communicate. They have stripped down barriers in speech, allowing anyone, anywhere, to put their voice out onto the internet. Anything this big will by necessity change language, affecting both the language and how language is used. From the start, computers have been designed around language, being used, for example, to crack German codes in WW2. This connection with language and the utility it has in conflict has remained. Even now language is used in conjunction with computers to extract information like with scam emails that intentionally leave in mistakes to filter out the wrong people. These filters are also used on a large scale to draw in and control people through algorithms controlled by the owners of the platforms used on the internet. This control comes with many dangers, as free speech can be hampered by the individuals in control. Power is also used to section off parts of the internet to reduce people’s access to ideas, like in North Korea and China, as the internet is seen as a powerful tool for cultural warfare. This can be seen in how many countries employ bots to try to sway what views are seen as common and acceptable by flooding the internet with false voices. The nature of the internet also gives the individual power, through memes and smaller sections of the internet where people have more freedom to create communities, like with 4Chan, Tumblr, and the Furry community. These communities also develop their own dialects. All these cause massive changes for mankind and language, both good and bad. Ultimately, it has allowed language to change at an even faster pace than without it. There is also a large threat that computers bring in the consolidation of power. There are immense amounts of power in controlling the internet. Due to the recentness of all of this, we are just beginning to see what that means for language and humanity.

Keywords: language, computer, algorithm, dialect, culture

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