protolanguage reexamined
Svetlana T.davidova
September 2021
 

The concept of protolanguage, introduced by D. Bickerton as a label for the initial stage in a two-stage hypothesis of language evolution, from lexical protolanguage to modern language, has been instrumental in defining the bio-cognitive foundations of language in biolinguistic context . It continues to be highly influential in evolutionary linguistics despite its highly speculative nature rooted in empirical inaccuracies and outdated theoretical convictions. Given that various recent empirical findings contradict some of the fundamental assumptions underlying the concept, its reconsideration and reevaluation is warranted without dismissing its contribution to the field.
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Reference: lingbuzz/006339
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keywords: language evolution, protolanguage, bio linguistics, universal grammar, semantics, syntax
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