ABSTRACT
I often wonder where particular linguistic abilities and strengths come from. Linguists have to be interested in studying every aspect of language, but how do they acquire all the different skills they need to do this job well? I guess nature and nurture combine here, as always, but only nurture provides a level of explanation that can be put to use. I’ve already reflected on the value of a bilingual environment, and on the way certain kinds of early encounter seemed to relate to the subject. But an awful lot of the time, when you’re doing linguistics, it is simply hard slog. How do you train for that?
