What Lenneberg got right : a homological program for the study of language evolution
Balari, Sergio (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Filologia Catalana)
Lorenzo González, Guillermo (Universidad de Oviedo. Departamento de Filología Española)

Date:	2017
Abstract:	By 1967, it was clear to Eric Lenneberg that reconstructing the phylogenetic history of language should require the adoption of a non-functional (or Owenian) homology concept for grounding relevant comparisons. Fifty years later, most biolinguistic approaches have betrayed this project, for they routinely derive their conclusions regarding the unique/shared status of language on merely folk grounds - as dramatically illustrated in Hauser, Chomsky & Fitch vs. Pinker & Jackendoff's debate, or based on functional considerations - as in Chomsky's recent conceptualization of language as a unique tool for thought. Here we claim that Lenneberg's project needs to be resumed and we articulate some suggestions about how to conduct it, taking advantage of recent findings and new conceptual insights concerning two crucial levels of analysis actually pinpointed by him - namely, anatomical/molecular structure and physiological function.
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Subject:	Homology thinking ; Character concept ; Evolutionary novelties ; Computational mind
Published in:	Biolinguistics, Vol. 11 (2017) , ISSN 1450-3417

Adreça alternativa: https://www.biolinguistics.eu/index.php/biolinguistics/article/view/498

32 p, 657.2 KB

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Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Arts and Humanities > Center for Theoretical Linguistics (CLT)
Articles > Research articles
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