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Adaptation to moving targets: Culture/gene coevolution, not either/or

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 October 2008

H. Clark Barrett
Affiliation:
Center for Behavior, Evolution, and Culture, Department of Anthropology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095-1553barrett@anthro.ucla.eduhttp://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/anthro/faculty/barrett/wilke@ucla.eduhttp://wilke.bol.ucla.edu/Home.html FPR-UCLA Center for Culture, Brain, and Development, Los Angeles, CA 90095. willem@frankenhuis.orghttp://www.willem.frankenhuis.org/
Willem E. Frankenhuis
Affiliation:
Center for Behavior, Evolution, and Culture, Department of Anthropology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095-1553barrett@anthro.ucla.eduhttp://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/anthro/faculty/barrett/wilke@ucla.eduhttp://wilke.bol.ucla.edu/Home.html
Andreas Wilke
Affiliation:
Center for Behavior, Evolution, and Culture, Department of Anthropology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095-1553barrett@anthro.ucla.eduhttp://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/anthro/faculty/barrett/wilke@ucla.eduhttp://wilke.bol.ucla.edu/Home.html

Abstract

We agree that much of language evolution is likely to be adaptation of languages to properties of the brain. However, the attempt to rule out the existence of language-specific adaptations a priori is misguided. In particular, the claim that adaptation to “moving targets” cannot occur is false. Instead, the details of gene-culture coevolution in language are an empirical matter.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2008

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References

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