GENIE AND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION 1

Genie: An Exploration of Language Acquisition

Sandra Knecht

November, 20, 1013

University of Alabama in Huntsville

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Genie: An Exploration of Language Acquisition

Linguistics is a fascinating and complex subject, soaked with the blood of poets,

theologians, philosophers, philologists, psychologists, biologists, and neurologists (24).

Particular interest has been directed towards the specific mechanisms, processes, and patterns

underlying the acquisition of language. Many of the historical revelations in the realm of

linguistics come from children -- particularly those who are abused, neglected, or wild (6). In

Russ Rymers novel, Genie: A Scientific Tragedy, and the NOVA film Secret of the Wild Child,

the shocking life of a neglected young girl, Genie, is examined. Suspected of mental illness, for

the first ten years of her life Genie was strapped to a potty chair and neglected by her father. Her

father kept her and her mother in a protective custody where they were virtual

prisoners (16-17) to his gross interpretation of a habitable and nurturing environment.

Consequently, Genie grew up, neglected and socially isolated. As demonstrated in both the novel

and the film, Genies remarkable case provided valuable evidence for psychological theories

concerning the acquisition of language.

Noam Chomsky is an important nativist, generative, transformational (28) contributor

to the study of linguistics. His major theoretical assertion is the idea that language is an innate

faculty. He suggested that syntax is biologically derived (174). He also explored the concept of

universal grammar, which proposes that we are born with a set grammatical understanding of

language. The ability to a child to manipulate grammar indicated, to Chomsky, the presence of a

language acquisition device, or a specific set of language learning tools. Wild child cases,

like those of Genie and Victor, offer support for Chomskys view of language acquisition. Victor,
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who was examined in light of Lockes empiricist ideals (69), could understand others and read a

small amount, but he was never able to speak. This suggests that when he was discovered at age

eleven, he had already outgrown the critical age for acquiring language (74). Passing through

puberty is theorized to extinguish the ability to develop language skills. The neuropsychologist,

Eric Lenneberg, substantiated this concept as the critical period hypothesis in his book

Biological Foundations of Language (84). He proposed that a childs brain is flexible in early

years, but after puberty it becomes inflexible, causing a loss in the brains ability to organize

language learning (169). To continue, Genies case also provides striking support for Chomskys

and Lennebergs theories. One year after Genie had been rescued, her language ability was equal

to that of a two year old child. She had the ability to distinguish between types of nouns and

between positive and negative sentences. She could form sentences with up to three words.

Around the age of two is when psychologically healthy children will experience a sudden burst

of vocabulary knowledge. Unfortunately, Genie did not make this advancement. Even four years

later, she was unable to master negation. In Chomskys view, Genie was unable to use

movement (27), the ability to reorganize a declarative sentence. Her ultimate inability to move

in to later stages of language development strongly supported Chomsky and Lennebergs

hypotheses involving the critical period of acquisition.

To explore Genies language acquisition further, it is important to consider the

behaviorist, B.F. Skinner, and his viewpoint. While Chomsky was a proponent of the nature

argument in developmental psychology, Skinner provided an alternate approach to the concept of

human malleability in verbal behavior that is more aligned with the nurture argument. His

theory is important to consider in light of Genie because her childhood environment played a
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significant role in her development that wasnt entirely elucidated with Chomskys theory. In the

NOVA film, Susan Curtiss asserts that it is impossible to consider Genies case if the

consideration of her environment is neglected. Skinner argued that in order for a childs language

ability to develop, they must be taught and exposed to all aspects of language from a young age.

He also aligned himself with the idea of a critical period for language acquisition. He proposed

that children acquire language through the principles of conditioning, which include association,

imitation, and reinforcement, within a limited time period. Because Genie was never taught or

exposed to environmental stimulation, her story provides evidence for Skinners theory. Genie

was not exposed to speech in her environment. Her father would punish any family member who

spoke above a whisper, and discouraged talking altogether. Since Genie had never been exposed

to language properly, she was unable to produce it properly. She had never been positively

reinforced to establish the value behind words and phrases. However, when Susan Curtiss trained

Genie in the fundamentals of linguistics, Genie was positively reinforced in her learning and,

therefore, able to make advancements. Genie showed progress when she exhibited the

association of emotions with facial expressions. She expressed sadness when her original doctor,

Dr. James Kent, would leave their visits (49). This supports the behaviorist viewpoint because

Genie was able to learn some language by imitating her environment, forming associations, and

being appropriately reinforced by her caretakers. She even grew to show signs of pre-operational

Piagean cognition and Vygotskys concept of self awareness by actively seeking definitions for

objects and attempting to break from her egocentrism (94). Her speech had improved

dramatically in both quality and quantity (102), and Curtiss acknowledged this striking change

(118). She was also able to verbalize events from her past, an impressive feat (129).
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Unfortunately, she was unable to reach full development because she was deprived and largely

isolated (41) during her critical period and Susan Curtiss late arrival (86) into Genies life.

She had acquired semantic ability, but remained unable to learn syntax and her abilities were

scattered and unreliable (156).

Chomsky and Skinners theories regarding language acquisition were largely based on

abstract ideas, and were not substantially supported by data or scientific experiments. Because of

this, neither theoretical standpoint has been accepted in totality. It would be possible to

effectively test their ideas if case studies of wild children could be isolated, dissected into

categories (of environment, age, ability, experience of puberty, etc.), and compared

experimentally. However, socially isolated children do not emerge frequently, so the chance of

this occurring randomly is extremely low. Similarly, if a scientist were to produce the proper

conditions for experimentation, it would undoubtedly be the product of unethical procedure.

Because the concept of language acquisition is multifaceted and includes the interconnected

complexities of environmental interactions and progressive neural structure advances, it is

impossible to validate either theory. If ethics were negligible, tests could be performed on

subjects that were lab raised to meet particular conditions. For example, manipulating the

subjects environment may indicate whether or not specific instruction is pertinent in language

acquisition (Skinner would say yes and Chomsky would disagree). Manipulation of

environmental interaction, availability of language instruction, and social interactions in various

subjects across various ages between infancy and adolescence could produce specific data to

reveal the exact mechanisms behind critical language development and the factors that influence

its formation.
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Genies treatment was mistake-ridden, and arguably, the cause of her regression. Susan

Curtiss accused Genies earliest caretaker of being possessive of Genie for the advancement of

her career (97). After she left Butlers care, Genie was moved from home to home, which

provided an overwhelming and inconsistent new lifestyle. She was robbed of a sense of security

and safety. Genie was also failed by the scientific community when her funding was removed

because she had not progressed in the way that they were looking for. Mistakes were also made

by her caretakers who failed to work with one another or to clearly define their research or

findings. Research was the focus, but it was ill-executed, and the science would have fared

better if the human aspect had been put first (216). Genie was exploited scientifically and was

viewed as property by many of her doctors and caretakers. In the NOVA film, each caretaker that

was interviewed displayed a strange covetous attitude for Genie. There was a gross

discrepancy between what Genie could best reveal to science, and..what science could ethically

ask of Genie (57). Ideally, recovery, comfort, and survival would have been the number one

priority for Genie. An organized team effort outlined by standardized research procedures would

have also provided the appropriate structure for Genies research and rehabilitation. These

procedures should also be incorporated into the therapies in modern society for these types of

situations. Ultimately, the tasks of ensuring strict ethical standards and maximizing the efficiency

of research procedures are vital to this type of research, and may have altered the outcome of

Genies story.