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Instinct

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Xinfu
November 07, 2015, 03:47 AM
The OALD:

instinct: a natural tendency for people and animals to behave in a particular way using the knowledge and abilities that they were born with rather than thought or training

intuition: the ability to know something by using your feelings rather than considering the facts

I can't see any difference between the two. Are they both correct in this blank?:


-Native speakers of Danish can use __ to decide whether inflection is needed for a verb, but non-natives cannot.

poli
November 07, 2015, 05:36 AM
Intuition has more to do with a feeling or sense that comes from some probably unproven facts. Instinct is innate. Instinct is how ducks know how to best raise their ducklings. Language is a human instinct, but the Dane's knowledge about inflection is more intuitive. With a intimate knowledge of their language, they assume the natural inflection with intuition.

Xinfu
November 08, 2015, 09:01 PM
Excellent answer. Thank you.