23. Language
Why Hacker News recommends it
HN recommends it, and the whole course, for understanding the brain and language acquisition.
What it is
Robert Sapolsky's Stanford lecture on language, comparing human and animal communication, ape language projects like Koko and Kanzi, and how language is acquired. It is part of his human behavioral biology course.
Recommended by 3 HN commenters across 3 different months, 2015 to 2024.
What Hacker News said
Strong rec i2shar · 2024-01 · on “Gene therapy allows an 11-year-old boy to hear”
This is well known and well studied. I highly recommend Sapolksy’s lecture on this: [this video] Start at 12:14 for the relevant topic, but the entire lecture is a good watch.
Recommends nerfhammer · 2015-08 · on “Apes may be closer to speaking than many scientists think”
Robert Sapolsky's lecture, mentioned in the article, wherein he discusses ape language projects, is a good watch: [this video] He completely dismisses Koko but considers Kanzi to be more credible.
Recommends SlySherZ · 2018-10 · on “I woke up unable to speak English”
If I remember correctly, when you learn a new language after age 10, the brain encodes the new language in a region adjacent to the one where your mother language is encoded, which means that any localized injury on this part of the brain may impact your ability to speak just one of them. Source: Sapolsky's lecture about language: [this video] If you want to understand better how the brain works, I really recommend watching the whole course.
Cites belorn · 2016-01 · on “Lilli, the German Adult-Themed Cartoon Character Who Became the Barbie Doll”
On the recorded lectures from Robert Sapolsky, he talks about motherese being both about teaching language and expressing emotion. The aspect of language is absent when people "talk" to their pets. [this video]