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The Biology and Evolution of Syntax| old_uid | 10508 |
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| title | The Biology and Evolution of Syntax |
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| start_date | 2011/12/06 |
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| schedule | 12h-13h30 |
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| online | no |
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| summary | Understanding the biology and evolution of language requires a highly multi-disciplinary approach. The use of comparative work on multiple animal species is increasingly being recognized as a central pillar in the study of cognitive biology and evolution, including the evolution of language. In this talk, I will discuss to the challenging problem of the neural and evolutionary basis for human linguistic syntax. Although syntax in its full sense appears unique to our species, multiple core components of syntax (including implicit rule acquisition, motor sequence learning, and pattern recognition of various sorts) appear to be widely shared, and both their evolutionary origins and neural basis can be profitably investigated using comparative research. Such an analysis requires some over-arching classification framework, within which issues of parsing and generative complexity can be adjudicated. I suggest that formal language theory offers the best available framework at present, and illustrate its value by discussing some recent research comparing pattern-recognition in humans, and multiple animal species. |
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| responsibles | Sackur |
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