Chater, Nick and Christiansen, Morten H. (2012) A solution to the logical problem of language evolution: language as an adaptation to the human brain. In: The Oxford handbook of language evolution. Oxford Handbooks Series (Chapter 65). Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 626-639. ISBN 978-0-1995-4111-9

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Abstract

This paper argues against the viability of a traditional genetically-specified universal grammar(UG) on evolutionary grounds. We show that such a UG could not have arisen either by adaptationist and non-adaptationist evolutionary mechanisms. This “logical problem of language evolution” applies equally to traditional and minimalist conceptions of the innate faculty of language. We consider whether language might be shaped by cultural transmission alone, arguing that language is crucially influenced by a broad range of constraints including thought, perceptuo-motor factors, cognitive capacities, and social-pragmatic forces. We
explore the restricted conditions under which genes can co-evolve with language.

Item Type:	Book Item
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General)
Divisions:	Faculty of Social Sciences > Warwick Business School > Behavioural Science Faculty of Social Sciences > Warwick Business School
Series Name:	Oxford Handbooks Series
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Place of Publication:	Oxford
ISBN:	978-0-1995-4111-9
Book Title:	The Oxford handbook of language evolution
Official Date:	2012
Dates:	Date Event 2012 Published
Number:	Chapter 65
Number of Pages:	14
Page Range:	pp. 626-639
Status:	Peer Reviewed
Publication Status:	Published
Access rights to Published version:	Restricted or Subscription Access

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