Bodo Winter
2010
Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on the Evolution of Language, pages 352-359, 2010
This paper discusses problems associated with the ''moving target argument'' (cf. Christiansen \& Chater 2008, Chater et al. 2009, see also Deacon 1997: 329, Johansson 2005:190). According to this common argument, rapid language change renders biological adaptations to language ...MORE ⇓
This paper discusses problems associated with the ''moving target argument'' (cf. Christiansen \& Chater 2008, Chater et al. 2009, see also Deacon 1997: 329, Johansson 2005:190). According to this common argument, rapid language change renders biological adaptations to language unlikely. However, studies of rapid biological evolution, varying rates of language change and recent simulations pose problems for the underlying assumptions of the argument. A critique of these assumptions leads to a richer view of language-biology co-evolution.