Language Evolution and Syntactic Theory (Approaches to the Evolution of Language)

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Anna R. KinsellaCambridge University Press, 8/31/2009EAN 9780521895309, ISBN10: 0521895308Hardcover, 225 pages, 23.4 x 15.7 x 1.7 cmLanguage: EnglishEvolution has not typically bee n recognised by linguists as a constraining factor when developing linguistic theories. This book demonstrates that our theories of language must reflect the fact that language has evolved. It critiques a currently dominant framework in the field of linguistics - the Minimalist Program - by showing how it fails to take evolution into account. It approaches the question of the evolution of human language in a novel way by applying findings from the field of evolutionary biology to language. Key properties associated with typically evolving systems are identified in language, and the shortcomings of the Minimalist Program in its outright rejection of these features are exposed. The book will be of interest to individual researchers and advanced students in linguistics, psychology, biology, anthropology and cognitive science.1. Constraining our theory of language2. Language as a perfect system3. Language as an evolvable system4. Language as a recursive system5. Language as a minimal system6. Towards an evolvable theory of syntax. Show more