The following questions refer to Chapter 2 of Steven Pinker's The Language Instinct . It is not necessary to give detailed answers. A sentence or two for each question should be sufficient.

This homework is due at the beginning of class on Thursday, September 16th

1) Pinker tells the story of when Westerners and indigenous inhabitants of the New Guinean Lowlands first made contact with inhabitants of that island's highland valley. What is the significance of this episode to Pinker's goals in the chapter (and the book)?

2) Pinker discusses Black English Vernacular (now more commonly known as African American Vernacular English, or AAVE), giving an example from an interview recorded by Penn linguist Bill Labov. Give three of the differences between AAVE and Standard American English that Pinker mentions, and illustrate them with examples. (Yes, you can use the examples Pinker gives.)

3) How are pidgins related to creoles?

4) Give two differences between the two sign languages called Lenguaje de Signos Nicaraguense and Idioma de Signos Nicaraguense .

5) Describe how the language of people who suffer from Broca's aphasia is different from that of other people.