Sudden (Saltationist) Approaches to Language Evolution

Many researchers have advocated an abrupt, saltationist view of language evolution, including, but not limited to: Berwick (1998), Bickerton (1990, 1998), Lightfoot (1991), Chomsky (2002, 2005), Berwick and Chomsky (2011, 2016), Piattelli-Palmarini (2010), Piattelli-Palmarini and Uriagereka (2004, 2011), Moro (2008), Hornstein (2009), Miyagawa (2017), Miyagawa et al. (2014), Di Sciullo (2013). In this chapter I consider in some detail two such approaches to language evolution: Berwick and Chomsky’s all or nothing saltationist approach is discussed in Sect. 2.2, and Miyagawa’s approach, which allows some continuity, is discussed in Sect. 2.3. For each approach, I consider how it addresses the Five Problems identified in Chap. 1.