Behavioral and Brain Sciences

Table of Contents - 2010 - Volume 33, Issue 05  

Open Peer Commentary

Advancing our grasp of constrained variation in a crucial cognitive domain

Stephen C. Levinsona1

a1 Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, The Netherlands PB 310 NL-6500 AH, The Netherlands. levinson@mpi.nl http://www.mpi.nl/people/levinson-stephen

Abstract

Jones's system of constraints promises interesting insights into the typology of kin term systems. Three problems arise: (1) the conflation of categories with algorithms that assign them threatens to weaken the typological predictions; (2) OT-type constraints have little psychological plausibility; (3) the conflation of kin-term systems and kinship systems may underplay the “utility function” character of real kinship in action.

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