The Nature of Language

Page 76

In 1970, a “wild child” was discovered in California. Thirteen-year-old “Genie” had been chained in a small room with no toys and little food for nearly her entire life. Her abusive father gave her no hugs, no loving words, and no conversation. As a result, Genie never developed language. Medical doctors, linguists, and psychologists worked intensely with her for over seven years, hoping to give the girl a chance at life in a community with others. But despite their efforts, Genie never learned more than a few hundred words and was never able to form sentences of more than two or three words (Pines, 1997; “Secret,” 1997). Genie’s sad story highlights the complex nature of language: someone with her background will never fully grasp that language is symbolic, has multiple meanings, is informed by thought, and is shaped by grammar and context. We explore these points here.