Wonder begets wisdom.
Someone, at some point
Hello, reader. You seem to have found yourself in my particular part of the internet. Allow me to congratulate you on your good fortune, and – should you decide to linger longer – your exquisite taste.
This is a place of curiosity and learning, where I will be attempting to describe and explain some of the things that most fascinate me. I hope that they will fascinate you too. You can expect to find here discussions of the natural and formal science that applies to the marvellous human trait of language.
It would probably help you to know something about me, the author. I am a structural biologist. That’s right – biology – not linguistics or psychology. I am not an expert in the workings of the mind. But, as Socrates is alleged to have once said: “True wisdom is understanding how little you know,” or words to that effect, and in Greek. How much I agree with him, I’m not too sure. But I am an avid learner, and my greatest satisfaction comes from being less ignorant today than I was yesterday. Learning is my favourite pastime.
This blog exists to explore language, and its amazing intersection with biology. I should really say its union, since I plan to at times dedicate my discussion exclusively to one or the other. This field of study is termed “biolinguistics”, and at present it seems not to be taught in any of the traditional institutions of learning, sadly. The reason for this, I surmise, must be that there are not enough experts who are (a) sufficiently qualified in both biology and linguistics and also (b) willing to instruct students. Or maybe nobody’s interested in biolinguistics. I really hope that the latter isn’t the case, since that wouldn’t bode well for the future of this blog.
At times, I’ll explore language from the perspective of the formal sciences, looking at the nitty-gritty of semantics and syntax. At others, I’d like to dip my toes in the natural science behind language – the psychology and neuroscience that explains how humans think about, produce, and interpret language. Alongside our discussions of theory, I’m also eager to use this opportunity to learn some snippets of new language for myself.
So, what’s with the title? Allow me to explain the origin of those nine letters upon which I have chosen to rest my future. The phrase utile notu, whose formulation lies just about at the limit1 of my Latin ability, means ‘useful to know’. It is a promise to be interesting and to provoke your imagination, though by no means do I guarantee that the content of this blog will be of any actual use.
So, why should you read my blog? After all, I’m not a professor with decades of experience under my belt – I’m a student with a lot still to learn. In some ways, I believe my relative inexperience makes me a more coherent communicator. I hope to share my learning with you, and if something doesn’t make sense, I’ll tell you. I won’t pretend to understand anything beyond what I think I do. I’ll stay accessible and won’t hide behind technical mumbo-jumbo2. Where I can, I’ll try not to resort to jargon or to vague hand-waving. The renowned linguist and cognitive psychologist Steven Pinker put it well:
Not only can academic writing be stylish but popular writing can be intellectually rigorous. … The demand for clarity can expose bad ideas that are obscured by murky academese, and the demand for concrete detail … can uncover flaws in [experimental] design.
Steven Pinker in his introduction to Language, Cognition, and Human Nature: Selected Articles (2013)
I don’t have a reputation to defend or to fall back on. I am not beholden to anyone but you, the reader. One thing I do have, however, is a thirst for knowledge (cliché, I know) an awareness of how best to go about researching a topic. Where I can, I’ll point you to reliable, high-quality sources where I aim to get my information. Honesty and transparency are important to me.
Language is a fascinating thing, and seems to be a defining characteristic of human beings. No other living thing possesses anything even resembling it. Its amazing complexity leads us to wonder how it has come about. But despite its sophistication, nobody (or almost nobody) fails to acquire language, no matter whether that particular language is English or Korean or Cherokee. Unlike learning to swim or to ride a bike, all normal children succeed in learning their mothertongue. How is this possible? What is it about languages that gives them all this property of learnability? And what is it about us humans that lets us learn any language?
If I’ve piqued your interest, please consider following this blog and joining me in my efforts.
Stay tuned.