[language] Language: Scientifically speaking

[H.M. Hubey]

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Language: Scientifically speaking
http://www.nature.com/nature/links/020606/020606-5.html

In a brief review Nowak et al. take on the task of covering 40 years of
computational linguistics - the science combining the methods of
linguistics
and computer science to study language, particularly its evolution.
Their main
conclusion is that there is a logical necessity of genetically
determined
components of human language. The field is notably contentious, and any
new
synthesis is likely to stimulate heated debate.


Computational and evolutionary aspects of language
MARTIN A. NOWAK, NATALIA L. KOMAROVA & PARTHA NIYOGI
Nature 417, 611-617 (6 June 2002)

Language is our legacy. It is the main evolutionary contribution of
humans, and
perhaps the most interesting trait that has emerged in the past 500
million
years. Understanding how darwinian evolution gives rise to human
language
requires the integration of formal language theory, learning theory and
evolutionary dynamics. Formal language theory provides a mathematical
description of language and grammar. Learning theory formalizes the task
of
language acquisition-it can be shown that no procedure can learn an
unrestricted set of languages. Universal grammar specifies the
restricted set
of languages learnable by the human brain. Evolutionary dynamics can be
formulated to describe the cultural evolution of language and the
biological
evolution of universal grammar.

http://www.nature.com/cgi-taf/DynaPage.taf?file=/nature/journal/v417/n6889/abs/nature00771_fs.html




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