Language Evolution and Syntactic Theory (Approaches to the Evolution of Language)
By Anna R. Kinsella.
Description
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 identifie...
ISBN(s)
0521895308, 9780521895309
