Syntax has been found in animal communication but only humans appear to have
generative, hierarchically structured syntax. How did syntax evolve? I discuss three theories …

Abstract Syntax, the structure of sentences, enables humans to express an infinite range of
meanings through finite means. The neurobiology of syntax has been intensely studied but …

Studies of animal communication are often assumed to provide the 'royal road'to
understanding the evolution of human language. After all, language is the pre-eminent …

" Introduction There are numerous neurobiological models of language, ranging from those
concerned with speech perception, white matter structure, and the function of dorsal and …

We propose that languages (and seemingly our language capabilities) evolved gradually as
a result of being engaged in an active feedback loop with human self-domestication. Our …

It is often, though sometimes only implicitly, assumed that biological/genetic evolution sets
neural substrates, that neural substrates fix cognitive abilities, and that cognitive abilities …

This book is about one of the most intriguing features of human communication systems: the
fact that words that go together in meaning can occur arbitrarily far away from each other. In …

This paper discusses the widely held idea that the building blocks of languages (features,
categories, and architectures) are part of an innate blueprint for Human Language, and …

Creativity is an important evolutionary adaptation that allows humans to think original
thoughts, to find solutions to problems that have never been encountered before, and to …

Following the observation that vervet monkeys are capable of labelling different predator
types with their vocalizations, comparative research in language evolution gained …