ABSTRACT
T he chapters in this section address, in one way or another, the major theoretical issues with which Slobin’s research has been concerned: the nature of the precursors to language develop-ment-innate or not-the relationship between diachronic and synchronic language change, and the psychological processes involved in learning and using language were major concerns for many years. Subsequently his interests in the interplay between cognition, typology, and language use and the acquisition of sign languages have both developed into major research programs. As a result, there are major overlaps between what appears in this section and papers appearing in other sections of this book. However, in this section these theoretical issues are addressed more directly. In brief overview, all the authors ask ‘what is language?’ and ‘what are the processes underlying its learning and use?’
