The Atoms of language - Mark C. Baker

the mind's hidden rules of grammar

KORTE INHOUD

The Navajo Code Talkers are one of the greatest stories of World War II. Because the Japanese forces were intercepting and deciphering American communications, they knew their ennemies battle plans and were able to slow the Allied advance across the Pacific. But the Code Talkers brought them with them a cipher the Japanese couldn't crack. They simply translated orders and reports from English into Navajo for radio transmission, and back into English at the other end. This method did more than provide secure communication. In a situation where every second counted, the Code Talkers could translate much more quickly than any expert in standard codes.
With this episode, linguist Mark Baker sets off on a fascinating exploration of one of the great mysteries of language: are all languages fundamentally the same, or are they fundamentally different? If they're all the same, why was Navajo so baffling for the Japanese cryptographers? If they're all different, why were the Code Talkers able to translate back and forth...
2001Taal: Engelszie alle details...