What do all languages have in common? - Cameron Morin episode artwork

EPISODE · Aug 2, 2026 · 8 MIN

What do all languages have in common? - Cameron Morin

from TED-Ed · host TED-Ed

Dig into Noam Chomsky’s theory of universal grammar and decide: are there universal grammar rules and are they hardwired into our brains?--Language is endlessly variable. Each of us can come up with an infinite number of sentences in our native language, and we’re able to do so from an early age— almost as soon as we start to communicate in sentences. How is this possible? In the early 1950s, Noam Chomsky proposed a theory that the key to this versatility was grammar. Cameron Morin details Chomsky's theory of universal grammar.Lesson by Cameron Morin, directed by Eoin Duffy.Animator's website: https://eoinduffy.me/Sign up for our newsletter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdNewsletterSupport us on Patreon: http://bit.ly/TEDEdPatreonFollow us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/TEDEdFacebookFind us on Twitter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdTwitterPeep us on Instagram: http://bit.ly/TEDEdInstagramView full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/what-do-all-languages-have-in-common-cameron-morinThank you so much to our patrons for your support! Without you this video would not be possible! Ivan Todorović, Alex Schenkman, Brittiny Elman, Ryohky Araya, Paul Coupe, David Douglass, Ricardo Paredes, Bill Feaver, Eduardo Briceño, Arturo De Leon, Christophe Dessalles, Janie Jackson, Dr Luca Carpinelli, Heather Slater, Yuh Saito, Quentin Le Menez, Mattia Veltri, Fabian Amels, Sandra Tersluisen, PnDAA, Hugo Legorreta, Zhexi Shan, Gustavo Mendoza, Bárbara Nazaré, Josh Engel, Natalia Rico, Andrea Feliz, Eysteinn Guðnason, Bernardo Paulo, Victor E Karhel, Sydney Evans, Latora Slydell, Oyuntsengel Tseyen-Oidov, Noel Situ, Elliot Poulin, emily lam, Juan, Jordan Tang, Kent Logan, Alexandra Panzer, Laura Cameron Keith, Jen, Ellen Spertus, Cailin Ramsey, Markus Goldhacker, Leora Allen, Andras Radnothy, Chris, Arpita Singh and Vijayalakshmi. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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