There are some signs that the longstanding divide over language evolution may be softening.
There are some signs that the longstanding divide over language evolution may be softening. Through progressive modifications, Chomsky’s theory of syntax has become simpler. This is suggested in the title of the current Minimalist Program, whose primary ingredient is Merge, recently described as the ‘simplest case’, requiring a ‘slight mutation’ producing a ‘slight rewiring of the brain’ [7]. These descriptions now seem at odds with earlier notions of language as a bodily organ producing a