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The myth of language universals and the myth of universal grammar

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 October 2009

Morten H. Christiansen
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, andSanta Fe Institute, Santa Fe, NM 87501. christiansen@cornell.eduhttp://www.psych.cornell.edu/people/Faculty/mhc27.htm
Nick Chater
Affiliation:
Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom. n.chater@ucl.ac.ukhttp://www.psychol.ucl.ac.uk/people/profiles/chater_nick.htm

Abstract

Evans & Levinson (E&L) argue that language universals are a myth. Christiansen and Chater (2008) have recently suggested that innate universal grammar is also a myth. This commentary explores the connection between these two theses, and draws wider implications for the cognitive science of language.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2009

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