Language as ergonomic perfection

Massimo Piattelli-Palmarini; Roeland Hancock; Thomas Bever

doi:10.1017/S0140525X08005219

Language as ergonomic perfection

Massimo Piattelli-Palmarini, Roeland Hancock, Thomas Bever

Research output: Contribution to journal › Comment/debate › peer-review

2 Scopus citations

Abstract

Christiansen & Chater (C&C) have taken the interactionist approach to linguistic universals to an extreme, adopting the metaphor of language as an organism. This metaphor adds no insights to five decades of analyzing language universals as the result of interaction of linguistically unique and general cognitive systems. This metaphor is also based on an outmoded view of classical Darwinian evolution and has no clear basis in biology or cognition.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	530-531
Number of pages	2
Journal	Behavioral and Brain Sciences
Volume	31
Issue number	5
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1017/S0140525X08005219
State	Published - 2008

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology
Physiology
Behavioral Neuroscience

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10.1017/S0140525X08005219

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title = "Language as ergonomic perfection",

abstract = "Christiansen & Chater (C&C) have taken the interactionist approach to linguistic universals to an extreme, adopting the metaphor of language as an organism. This metaphor adds no insights to five decades of analyzing language universals as the result of interaction of linguistically unique and general cognitive systems. This metaphor is also based on an outmoded view of classical Darwinian evolution and has no clear basis in biology or cognition.",

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AB - Christiansen & Chater (C&C) have taken the interactionist approach to linguistic universals to an extreme, adopting the metaphor of language as an organism. This metaphor adds no insights to five decades of analyzing language universals as the result of interaction of linguistically unique and general cognitive systems. This metaphor is also based on an outmoded view of classical Darwinian evolution and has no clear basis in biology or cognition.

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DO - 10.1017/S0140525X08005219

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Language as ergonomic perfection

Abstract

ASJC Scopus subject areas

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