Language Evolution and Syntactic Theory

Evolution has not typically been 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.

Author: Anna R. Kinsella
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 07/23/2009
Pages: 236
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.10lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.70d
ISBN: 9780521895309

About the Author
Kinsella, Anna R.: - Anna R. Kinsella is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Language Evolution & Computation Research Unit in the Department of Linguistics & English Language at the University of Edinburgh.