Ancient and medieval experiments on child language: a comment on Bonvillian, Garber and Dell (1997)

Abstract

A recent paper published by Bonvillian, Garber & Dell (1997) examines one ancient and two medieval studies of children's language development, whereby children were allegedly isolated from hearing any spoken language in order to discover what, if any, language the children would come to produce. Bonvillian et al. consider studies attributed to Psamtik I, an Egyptian Pharaoh in the seventh century BC; to James IV of Scotland in the fifteenth century AD; and to Akbar the Great, Mogul Emperor in India, in the sixteenth century AD. Bonvillian et al. conclude, correctly, that the Akbar study did take place. However, their contention that the Akbar study indicates that a system of gestural communication is a precursor to language is, in our view, unwarranted. Here, we criticize the paper by Bonvillian et al. on three grounds: it fails to mention previously published research on the topic; it fails to mention another medieval study attributed to Frederick II, King of Sicily, in the thirteenth century ad; and its contention that gestural communication is a precursor to language is not supported by reference to the primary sources on Akbar's study.