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Variability in languages, variability in learning?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 October 2009

Bob McMurray  and
Edward Wasserman
Bob McMurray
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology and Delta Center, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52240. bob-mcmurray@uiowa.eduwww.psychology.uiowa.edu/faculty/mcmurrayed-wasserman@uiowa.eduwww.psychology.uiowa.edu/Faculty/Wasserman/
Edward Wasserman
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology and Delta Center, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52240. bob-mcmurray@uiowa.eduwww.psychology.uiowa.edu/faculty/mcmurrayed-wasserman@uiowa.eduwww.psychology.uiowa.edu/Faculty/Wasserman/
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Abstract

In documenting the dizzying diversity of human languages, Evans & Levinson (E&L) highlight the lack of universals. This suggests the need for complex learning. Yet, just as there is no universal structure, there may be no universal learning mechanism responsible for language. Language is a behavior assembled by many processes, an assembly guided by the language being learned.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 32 , Issue 5 , October 2009 , pp. 459 - 460
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2009

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