science

Knowledge of Language

Knowledge of Language is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Knowledge of Language rather than just read about it. In short: Knowledge of Language: Its Nature, Origin, and Use is a book by American linguist Noam Chomsky, first published in 1986. In this book, Chomsky deals with topics in the philosophy of language and the philosophy of mind.

Key takeaways

Knowledge of Language belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Knowledge of Language to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Knowledge of Language from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Knowledge of Language: Its Nature, Origin, and Use is a book by American linguist Noam Chomsky, first published in 1986. In this book, Chomsky deals with topics in the philosophy of language and the philosophy of mind. He argues that the study of linguistic structures provides insight into the workings of human mind.

References

External links Fieser, James; Dowden, Bradley (eds.). "Knowledge of Language". Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. ISSN 2161-0002. OCLC 37741658.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Knowledge of Language

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Knowledge of Language claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Knowledge of Language before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Knowledge of Language ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Knowledge of Language

In research: Knowledge of Language appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Knowledge of Language in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Knowledge of Language is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1986 English-language non-fiction books, 1986 non-fiction books, Books by Noam Chomsky, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Knowledge of Language outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Ask Teacher Smith questions about this articleOpens your AI tutor with a question about “Knowledge of Language” →

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Knowledge of Language in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Knowledge of Language means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Knowledge of Language out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Knowledge of Language in simple terms?

Why does Knowledge of Language matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Knowledge of Language?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Knowledge of Language.