1 Towards an Evolutionarily Plausible Theory of Language: The Case Against Minimalism

The Minimalist Program (henceforth MP) views language as a simple atomic system, devoid of much of the complexity associated with earlier generative theories. This position leads to difficulties from an evolutionary perspective; the minimalist language faculty can entail only a saltational account, in contrast to the gradual adaptationist explanation required by a complex modular biological endowment. This paper examines the methodology behind the MP, showing that this is the cause of incompatibility with evolutionary theory, and suggests an alternative route for constraining the theory of language based on evolutionary foundations.