Abstract
This paper aims to re-evaluate the legacy of Eric Lenneberg’s monumental Biological Foundations of Language, with special reference to his biolinguistic framework and view on (child) aphasiology. The argument draws from the following concepts from Lenneberg’s work: (i) language (latent struc- ture vs. realized structure) as independent of externalization; (ii) resonance theory; (iii) brain rhythmicity; and (iv) aphasia as temporal dysfunction. Specifically, it will be demonstrated that Lenneberg’s original version of the critical period hypothesis and his child aphasiology lend themselves to elucidating a child aphasia of epileptic origin called Landau-Kleffner syndrome (LKS), thereby opening a possible hope for recovery from the disease. Moreover, it will be claimed that, to the extent that the language disorder in LKS can be couched in these terms, it can serve as strong “liv- ing” evidence in support of Lenneberg’s critical period hypothesis and his view on child aphasiology.
Highlights
Boeckx & Longa aptly and succinctly describe the value of Eric Lenneberg’s pioneering and seminal work Biological Foundations of Language published in 1967 as being ”regarded as a classic” and add: Like all classics, it deserves to be re-read at regular intervals, to appreciate the success of previous attempts at a synthesis among fields, and to learn things that we all too often forget.(Boeckx & Longa 2011: 255)I would like to express my sincere gratitude to two anonymous Biolinguistics reviewers for encouraging comments on the earlier version of this paper
Once it is found that the child is affected by Landau-Kleffner syndrome (LKS), proper antiepileptic medication should continue to be administered in order to consistently control epileptic seizures, if any, and hopefully to precipitate improvement of the EEG abnormalities in order to make the quality of linguistic input better so that the language capacity would grow ontogenetically within the critical period in the LKS-affected child
I have revisited Lenneberg’s (1967) biolinguistic framework and his view on aphasiology in an attempt to re-evaluate his insights on biological aspects of human language and his pioneering contributions to the field of child aphasiology
Summary
Boeckx & Longa aptly and succinctly describe the value of Eric Lenneberg’s pioneering and seminal work Biological Foundations of Language published in 1967 as being ”regarded as a classic” and add: Like all classics, it deserves to be re-read at regular intervals, to appreciate the success (and limitations) of previous attempts at a synthesis among fields, and to learn things that we all too often forget. The main purpose of this paper is to re-visit Lenneberg’s original version of the critical period hypothesis and his view on (child) aphasiology, which have been often forgotten, sometimes ignored or even misunderstood, in order to highlight their importance, relevance, and validity in exploring the nature of a certain child aphasia of epileptic origin called Landau-Kleffner syndrome (LKS; Landau & Kleffner 1957). It will be argued that LKS provides strong “living” evidence demonstrating the validity of Lenneberg’s original version of the critical period hypothesis and his view on (child) aphasiology, to the extent that they are conducive to illuminating the very nature of the language disorder in LKS. I will argue that Lenneberg’s critical period hypothesis and child aphasiology can benefit our understanding the nature of the language disorder in LKS, opening up a novel possibility for an effective non-invasive medical intervention.
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