Modern language models refute Chomsky’s approach to language

Re:Modern language models refute Chomsky’s approach to language by og_kalu on Tuesday June 13, 2023 @04:49PM (#36317039)

What makes capable actors capable in the first place is not derived from thin air. There's a reason a capable actor came to be where there was none generations prior. That reason did not come about without reaction to some outside vector.

Evolution optimized for language learning abilities before the full capabilities came. Evolution is not thin air.

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Re:Modern language models refute Chomsky’s approach to language by enord on Tuesday June 13, 2023 @05:43PM (#36317906)

The «air» is here an allegory for «large language corpus». It is self-evidently true that as we move backwards through history we eventually pass the first language utterance for any given definition of language or utterance. From here on out, the «air» is indeed «thin». There are still other things, but no «air» (i.e. «language corpora»).

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