Steven Pinker: What our language habits reveal

The video explores the role of L'Academie francaise in legislating French language usage, highlighting the challenges of language change. It delves into verb usage, sentence construction, and the conceptual structures underlying language. The speaker discusses the metaphorical nature of language and the use of indirect speech acts in social interactions, emphasizing language as a tool for negotiating relationships.

What are the two main tasks of the French Academy?

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What does the speaker mean by 'language is a window onto human nature'?

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How does the speaker describe the relationship between language and human nature?

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What is the significance of the verb in a sentence according to the speaker?

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Explain the difference between intransitive and transitive verbs as discussed in the text.

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What role does metaphor play in language according to the speaker?

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How does the speaker relate the evolution of language to human intelligence?

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How does the speaker illustrate the concept of indirect speech acts?

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What are the four types of relationships identified by Alan Fiske?

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Discuss the implications of using language at two levels as described in the text.

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