Locating Logic Faculty in the Mental System

Authors

  • Mohamed Eusuff Md Amin Asia e University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33736/jcshd.4533.2022

Keywords:

cognitive science, theoretical linguistics, mind, psychology, logic

Abstract

Taken from Chomsky’s Knowledge of Language (1986), it is noted that logical form (LF) is not a direct reflection of deep structure (D-structure). It has induced a question, where is then 'logic' located in the human psychology (in the sense of the mind-system) if it is not in the D-structure. To answer this question, we will try to see how different languages (in this paper, English, Malay and Turkish) are structured differently on the surface (S-structure) yet can have the same internal syntax (D-structure). However, when there is a change in semantics (in the sense of intended meaning), a change in LF is noted, although the D-structure might remain the same. Making sense of this, we argue that D-structure is not the innermost faculty of the human innate system (mind) but rather, how S-structure is to D-structure, that is how D-structure is to the human logic faculty. In other words, with D-structure, logic faculty is more profound.

References

Chomsky, N. (1986). Knowledge of language: Its nature, origin, and use. New York: Praeger

Da Silva, A. M. (2017). I-Semantics: Foundational questions, Studia Semiotyczne, 2 (3), 77-112.

Fox, D. (2002). On logical form. Retrieved from web.mit.edu/fox/www/LFnewer.pdf

McGilvray, J. (2013). Chomsky: Language, mind and politics (2nd ed.). Cambridge: Polity

McKeon, M. W. (2020). Argument, Inference, and Persuasion, Argumentation, 35, 339-356.

Römer, R., Peter, B. G., Markus, H-L., & Matthias W. (2022). Unifying physical interaction, linguistic communication, and language acquisition of cognitive agents by minimalist grammars, Frontiers in Computer Science, 4, 1-21. https://doi: 10.3389/fcomp.2022.733596

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Published

2022-09-30

How to Cite

Md Amin, M. E. (2022). Locating Logic Faculty in the Mental System. Journal of Cognitive Sciences and Human Development, 8(2), 157–169. https://doi.org/10.33736/jcshd.4533.2022