Evolutionary Dynamics Do Not Motivate a Single-Mutant Theory of Human Language

One of the most controversial hypotheses in cognitive science is the Chomskyan evolutionary conjecture that language arose instantaneously in humans through a single mutation. Here we analyze the evolutionary dynamics implied by this hypothesis, which has never been formalized before. The hypothesis...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Boer, Bart de, Thompson, Bill, Ravignani, Andrea, Boeckx, Cedric
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2020
País:España
Institución:Universidad de Barcelona
Repositorio:Dipòsit Digital de la UB
OAI Identifier:oai:diposit.ub.edu:2445/170388
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/2445/170388
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Origen del llenguatge
Adquisició del llenguatge
Evolució humana
Genètica evolutiva
Origin of languages
Language acquisition
Human evolution
Evolutionary genetics
id ES_6dff316ea0df3a6532b2e06061d290db
oai_identifier_str oai:diposit.ub.edu:2445/170388
network_acronym_str ES
network_name_str España
repository_id_str
spelling Evolutionary Dynamics Do Not Motivate a Single-Mutant Theory of Human LanguageBoer, Bart deThompson, BillRavignani, AndreaBoeckx, CedricOrigen del llenguatgeAdquisició del llenguatgeEvolució humanaGenètica evolutivaOrigin of languagesLanguage acquisitionHuman evolutionEvolutionary geneticsOne of the most controversial hypotheses in cognitive science is the Chomskyan evolutionary conjecture that language arose instantaneously in humans through a single mutation. Here we analyze the evolutionary dynamics implied by this hypothesis, which has never been formalized before. The hypothesis supposes the emergence and fixation of a single mutant (capable of the syntactic operation Merge) during a narrow historical window as a result of frequency-independent selection under a huge fitness advantage in a population of an effective size no larger than ~15 000 individuals. We examine this proposal by combining diffusion analysis and extreme value theory to derive a probabilistic formulation of its dynamics. We find that although a macro-mutation is much more likely to go to fixation if it occurs, it is much more unlikely a priori than multiple mutations with smaller fitness effects. The most likely scenario is therefore one where a medium number of mutations with medium fitness effects accumulate. This precise analysis of the probability of mutations occurring and going to fixation has not been done previously in the context of the evolution of language. Our results cast doubt on any suggestion that evolutionary reasoning provides an independent rationale for a single-mutant theory of language.Nature Publishing Group2020info:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionapplication/pdfhttps://hdl.handle.net/2445/170388Articles publicats en revistes (Filologia Catalana i Lingüística General)reponame:Dipòsit Digital de la UBinstname:Universidad de BarcelonaInglésReproducció del document publicat a: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-57235-8Scientific Reports, 2020, vol. 10, p. 451https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-57235-8info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/H2020/789999info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/H2020/665501cc-by (c) Boer, Bart de et al., 2020http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/esinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:diposit.ub.edu:2445/1703882026-05-27T06:46:51Z
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Evolutionary Dynamics Do Not Motivate a Single-Mutant Theory of Human Language
title Evolutionary Dynamics Do Not Motivate a Single-Mutant Theory of Human Language
spellingShingle Evolutionary Dynamics Do Not Motivate a Single-Mutant Theory of Human Language
Boer, Bart de
Origen del llenguatge
Adquisició del llenguatge
Evolució humana
Genètica evolutiva
Origin of languages
Language acquisition
Human evolution
Evolutionary genetics
title_short Evolutionary Dynamics Do Not Motivate a Single-Mutant Theory of Human Language
title_full Evolutionary Dynamics Do Not Motivate a Single-Mutant Theory of Human Language
title_fullStr Evolutionary Dynamics Do Not Motivate a Single-Mutant Theory of Human Language
title_full_unstemmed Evolutionary Dynamics Do Not Motivate a Single-Mutant Theory of Human Language
title_sort Evolutionary Dynamics Do Not Motivate a Single-Mutant Theory of Human Language
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Boer, Bart de
Thompson, Bill
Ravignani, Andrea
Boeckx, Cedric
author Boer, Bart de
author_facet Boer, Bart de
Thompson, Bill
Ravignani, Andrea
Boeckx, Cedric
author_role author
author2 Thompson, Bill
Ravignani, Andrea
Boeckx, Cedric
author2_role author
author
author
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Origen del llenguatge
Adquisició del llenguatge
Evolució humana
Genètica evolutiva
Origin of languages
Language acquisition
Human evolution
Evolutionary genetics
topic Origen del llenguatge
Adquisició del llenguatge
Evolució humana
Genètica evolutiva
Origin of languages
Language acquisition
Human evolution
Evolutionary genetics
description One of the most controversial hypotheses in cognitive science is the Chomskyan evolutionary conjecture that language arose instantaneously in humans through a single mutation. Here we analyze the evolutionary dynamics implied by this hypothesis, which has never been formalized before. The hypothesis supposes the emergence and fixation of a single mutant (capable of the syntactic operation Merge) during a narrow historical window as a result of frequency-independent selection under a huge fitness advantage in a population of an effective size no larger than ~15 000 individuals. We examine this proposal by combining diffusion analysis and extreme value theory to derive a probabilistic formulation of its dynamics. We find that although a macro-mutation is much more likely to go to fixation if it occurs, it is much more unlikely a priori than multiple mutations with smaller fitness effects. The most likely scenario is therefore one where a medium number of mutations with medium fitness effects accumulate. This precise analysis of the probability of mutations occurring and going to fixation has not been done previously in the context of the evolution of language. Our results cast doubt on any suggestion that evolutionary reasoning provides an independent rationale for a single-mutant theory of language.
publishDate 2020
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2020
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
format article
status_str publishedVersion
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv https://hdl.handle.net/2445/170388
url https://hdl.handle.net/2445/170388
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv Inglés
language_invalid_str_mv Inglés
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv Reproducció del document publicat a: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-57235-8
Scientific Reports, 2020, vol. 10, p. 451
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-57235-8
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/H2020/789999
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/H2020/665501
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv cc-by (c) Boer, Bart de et al., 2020
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/es
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
rights_invalid_str_mv cc-by (c) Boer, Bart de et al., 2020
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/es
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv Nature Publishing Group
publisher.none.fl_str_mv Nature Publishing Group
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv Articles publicats en revistes (Filologia Catalana i Lingüística General)
reponame:Dipòsit Digital de la UB
instname:Universidad de Barcelona
instname_str Universidad de Barcelona
reponame_str Dipòsit Digital de la UB
collection Dipòsit Digital de la UB
repository.name.fl_str_mv
repository.mail.fl_str_mv
_version_ 1869410393166708736
score 15,301603

Similares en LA Referencia