Recursion as a Human Universal and as a Primitive

to related objects

Abstract: This contribution asks, in an empirical rather than formal perspective, whether a range of descriptive phenomena in grammar usually characterized in terms of ‘recursion’ actually exhibit recursion. It is concluded that empirical evidence does not support this customary assumption. Language, while formally recursive, need not be recursive in the underlying generative mechanisms of its grammar. Hence, while recursion may well be one of the hallmarks of human nature, grammar may not be the cognitive domain where it is found. Arguments for this claim are briefly exposed and then discussed with respect to a selection of talks from the DGfS workshop on Foundations of Language Comparison: Human Universals as Constraints on Language Diversity that led to this special issue. https://bioling.psychopen.eu/index.php/bioling/article/view/8781

Location: Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Frankfurt am Main

Extent: Online-Ressource

Language: Englisch

Bibliographic citation: Recursion as a Human Universal and as a Primitive ; volume:4 ; number:2-3 ; day:30 ; month:09 ; year:2010
Biolinguistics ; 4, Heft 2-3 (30.09.2010)

Creator: Arsenijevic, Boban
Hinzen, Wolfram

DOI: 10.5964/bioling.8781

URN: urn:nbn:de:101:1-2022110709220680723806

Rights: Open Access; Der Zugriff auf das Objekt ist unbeschränkt möglich.

Last update: 15.08.2025, 7:21 AM CEST

Data provider

This object is provided by:
Deutsche Nationalbibliothek. If you have any questions about the object, please contact the data provider.

Show original at data provider

Associated

Arsenijevic, Boban
Hinzen, Wolfram

Other Objects (12)

Herbrand's theorem as higher order recursion

Characterizations of time-bounded computations by limited primitive recursion

Cultural Evolutionary Psychology as Generalization by Recursion

Konferenzschrift | Kongress

Recursion and human language

Recursion as Derivational Layering: An Amendment to Zwart

Palaeospondylus as a primitive hagfish

Hochschulschrift

Extensions of system F by iteration and primitive recursion on monotone inductive types

Recursion theory

Celestial recursion

Topological recursion

Herbrand's theorem as higher order recursion

Characterizations of time-bounded computations by limited primitive recursion

Cultural Evolutionary Psychology as Generalization by Recursion

Konferenzschrift | Kongress

Recursion and human language

Recursion as Derivational Layering: An Amendment to Zwart

Palaeospondylus as a primitive hagfish

Hochschulschrift

Extensions of system F by iteration and primitive recursion on monotone inductive types

Recursion theory

Celestial recursion

Topological recursion

Herbrand's theorem as higher order recursion

Characterizations of time-bounded computations by limited primitive recursion

Cultural Evolutionary Psychology as Generalization by Recursion

Konferenzschrift | Kongress

Recursion and human language

Recursion as Derivational Layering: An Amendment to Zwart

Palaeospondylus as a primitive hagfish

Hochschulschrift

Extensions of system F by iteration and primitive recursion on monotone inductive types

Recursion theory

Celestial recursion

Topological recursion

Cultural heritage institutions wishing to register will find more information here.

Fields marked * need to be filled in.

Username*

Please enter your username

Email*

Please enter your email address

Please do not fill this field

First name

Last name

Password*

Please enter your password

Confirm password*

Please enter the same password

I have read the terms of use and the privacy policy for the collection of personal data and accept them. *

This field is required.

I would like to subscribe to the newsletter of the Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek. See newsletter subscription info.

Account created

Your "My DDB" account has been successfully created. Before you can log in to your account, you must click the confirmation link in the message we just sent to the email address you provided.

Recursion as a Human Universal and as a Primitive

Object Details

References and Relationships

Contributors, Places and Time

Further information

Data provider

Associated

Other Objects (12)

Herbrand's theorem as higher order recursion

Herbrand's theorem as higher order recursion

Characterizations of time-bounded computations by limited primitive recursion

Cultural Evolutionary Psychology as Generalization by Recursion

Recursion and human language

Recursion as Derivational Layering: An Amendment to Zwart

Recursion as Derivational Layering: An Amendment to Zwart

Palaeospondylus as a primitive hagfish

Extensions of system F by iteration and primitive recursion on monotone inductive types

Recursion theory

Celestial recursion

Topological recursion

Herbrand's theorem as higher order recursion

Herbrand's theorem as higher order recursion

Characterizations of time-bounded computations by limited primitive recursion

Cultural Evolutionary Psychology as Generalization by Recursion

Recursion and human language

Recursion as Derivational Layering: An Amendment to Zwart

Recursion as Derivational Layering: An Amendment to Zwart

Palaeospondylus as a primitive hagfish

Extensions of system F by iteration and primitive recursion on monotone inductive types

Recursion theory

Celestial recursion

Topological recursion

Herbrand's theorem as higher order recursion

Herbrand's theorem as higher order recursion

Characterizations of time-bounded computations by limited primitive recursion

Cultural Evolutionary Psychology as Generalization by Recursion

Recursion and human language

Recursion as Derivational Layering: An Amendment to Zwart

Recursion as Derivational Layering: An Amendment to Zwart

Palaeospondylus as a primitive hagfish

Extensions of system F by iteration and primitive recursion on monotone inductive types

Recursion theory

Celestial recursion

Topological recursion

Related objects

Reset password