The Seventh Wonder of the modern world is

‘The Seventh Wonder of the modern world is a Lewis Thomas human child, any child. I used to wonder about childhood and the evolution of our species. It seemed to me unparsimonious to keep expending all that energy on such a long period of vulnerability and defencelessness, with nothing to show for it, in biological terms, beyond the feckless, irresponsible pleasure of childhood. After all, I used to think, it is one sixth of a whole human life span! Why didn’t our evolution take care of that, allowing us to jump catlike from our juvenile to our adult (and, as I thought) productive stage of life? I had forgotten about language, the single human trait that marks us out as specifically human, the property that enables our survival as the most compulsively, biologically, obsessively social of all creatures on earth, more interdependent and interconnected even than the famous social insects. I had forgotten that, and forgotten that children do that in childhood. Language is what childhood is for. ’

World of Language{s}

“Language is a process of free creation; its laws and principles are fixed, but the manner in which the principles of generation are used is free and infinitely varied. Even the interpretation and use of words involves a process of free creation. ” “Human language appears to be a unique phenomenon, without significant analogue in the animal world. “ Noam Chomsky “Education must provide the opportunities for selffulfillment; it can at best provide a rich and challenging environment for the individual to explore, in [your] own way. “ “There are very deep and restrictive principles that determine the nature of human language and are rooted in the specific character of the human mind. ” “Our minds are specifically adapted to developing certain theories, and we have a science if theories that are available to our minds happen to be close to true. ” “If we don't believe in freedom of expression for people we despise, we don't believe in it at all. ”

Steven Pinker “It's the old idea that the process of evolution is some push in the direction of greater complexity--in particular greater intellectual complexity. In one twig of the tree of life, namely ours, having a big brain happened to have advantages. But that's just what worked for a particular species of primate 5 to 7 million years ago. ”

“Thanks to the redundancy of language, yxx cxn xndxrstxnd whxt x xm wrxtxng xvxn xf x rxplxcx xll thx vxwxls wxth xn "x" (t gts lttl hrdr f y dn't vn kn whr th vwls r)” “The three-year-old, then, is a grammatical genius - master of most constructions, obeying rules far more often than flouting them, respecting language universals, erring in sensible, adult-like ways, and avoiding many kinds of errors altogether. ” “Just as blueprints don't necessarily specify blue buildings, selfish genes don't necessarily specify selfish organisms. As we shall see, sometimes the most selfish thing a gene can do is build a selfless brain. Genes are a play within a play, not the interior monologue of the players. " “Art works because it appeals to certain faculties of the mind. Music depends on details of the auditory system, painting and sculpture on the visual system. Poetry and literature depend on language. ” Pinker: language instinct not blank slate

Factor Many covert and implicit messages, with use of metaphor and reading between the lines. Many overt and explicit messages that are simple and clear. Locus of control and attribution for failure Inner locus of control and personal acceptance for failure Outer locus of control and blame of others for failure Using nonverbal communication Much nonverbal communication More focus on verbal communication than body language Expression of reaction Edward T. Hall, Low-context Overtness of messages “One of the most effective ways to learn about oneself is by taking seriously the cultures of others. “It forces you to pay attention to those details of life which differentiate them from you. ” High-context Reserved, inward reactions Visible, external, outward reaction Cohesion and separation of groups Strong distinction between in-group and out-group. Strong sense of family. Flexible and open grouping patterns, changing as needed People bonds Strong people bonds with affiliation to family and community Fragile bonds between people with little sense of loyalty. Level of commitment to relationships High commitment to long-term relationships. Relationship more important than task. Low commitment to relationship. Task more important than relationships. Flexibility of time Time is open and flexible. Process is more important than product Time is very organized. Product is more important than process