What echolocation does and doesn’t mean for language
Keyword(s):
There is an argument from analogy that goes like this: echolocation is a cognitive specialization in bats and language is similarly a cognitive specialization in humans; consequently, because echolocation is a trait that is the result of natural selection, the language faculty must also be. I show that echolocation is a latent ability in humans which cannot have been selected for, i.e., it is a spandrel. This turns the tables on the argument from analogy, showing that either the analogy was false, or that the correct conclusion is that the language faculty is likely a spandrel. I then argue that natural selection of a propensity to notice and attend to the relevant input is likely to have led to the language faculty.
Keyword(s):
2008 ◽
Vol 39
(1)
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pp. 73-85
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Keyword(s):
2009 ◽
Vol 18
(14)
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pp. 3110-3119
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Keyword(s):
2016 ◽
Vol 44
(4)
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pp. 1101-1110
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Keyword(s):
2008 ◽
Vol 105
(38)
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pp. 14488-14491
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