Semantics, Metaphors and Obscenity: Exploring Human Nature Through Language

09/26/2007 at 9:00 a.m.

Today, we explore human nature through the lens of the language we use. What can we learn about human relationships and emotions from swear words and innuendo? Do the names we choose to give our children reflect historical changes in parenting style? Is there a logic to when humans are especially vague or overly polite? Harvard professor Steven Pinker joins us to explore how language comes to be, and what it says about us.

Guests:
Steven Pinker is the Johnstone Family Professor of Psychology at Harvard University. He has won many awards for his research and teaching on language and cognition and in 2004, Time ranked him as one of the most influential people in the world. His writing has appeared in many publications including The New York Times and The New Republic. He is also the author of six books including The Language Instinct, How the Mind Works, Words and Rules, and The Blank Slate. His latest book is The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window into Human Nature.