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For universals (but not finite-state learning) visit the zoo

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 October 2009

Geoffrey K. Pullum  and
Barbara C. Scholz
Geoffrey K. Pullum
Affiliation:
School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH8 9AD, Scotland, United Kingdom. gpullum@ling.ed.ac.ukhttp://ling.ed.ac.uk/~gpullumbcscholz@gmail.comhttp://www.philosophy.ed.ac.uk/people/honorary-fellows/barbara-scholz.html
Barbara C. Scholz
Affiliation:
School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH8 9AD, Scotland, United Kingdom. gpullum@ling.ed.ac.ukhttp://ling.ed.ac.uk/~gpullumbcscholz@gmail.comhttp://www.philosophy.ed.ac.uk/people/honorary-fellows/barbara-scholz.html
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Abstract

Evans & Levinson's (E&L's) major point is that human languages are intriguingly diverse rather than (like animal communication systems) uniform within the species. This does not establish a “myth” about language universals, or advance the ill-framed pseudo-debate over universal grammar. The target article does, however, repeat a troublesome myth about Fitch and Hauser's (2004) work on pattern learning in cotton-top tamarins.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 32 , Issue 5 , October 2009 , pp. 466 - 467
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2009

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