The redundancy of recursion and infinity for natural language.

Cognitive Processing
Erkki Luuk, Hendrik Luuk

Abstract

An influential line of thought claims that natural language and arithmetic processing require recursion, a putative hallmark of human cognitive processing (Chomsky in Evolution of human language: biolinguistic perspectives. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 45-61, 2010; Fitch et al. in Cognition 97(2):179-210, 2005; Hauser et al. in Science 298(5598):1569-1579, 2002). First, we question the need for recursion in human cognitive processing by arguing that a generally simpler and less resource demanding process--iteration--is sufficient to account for human natural language and arithmetic performance. We argue that the only motivation for recursion, the infinity in natural language and arithmetic competence, is equally approachable by iteration and recursion. Second, we submit that the infinity in natural language and arithmetic competence reduces to imagining infinite embedding or concatenation, which is completely independent from the ability to implement infinite processing, and thus, independent from both recursion and iteration. Furthermore, we claim that a property of natural language is physically uncountable finity and not discrete infinity.

References

Jan 1, 1991·Cerebral Cortex·D J Felleman, D C Van Essen
Jun 28, 2002·Cognition·Tessa Warren, Edward Gibson
Nov 26, 2002·Science·Marc D HauserW Tecumseh Fitch
Jan 17, 2004·Science·David Premack
Sep 1, 1995·Trends in Cell Biology·G BantingK Lingelbach
Feb 8, 2005·Cognition·Steven Pinker, Ray Jackendoff
Aug 23, 2005·Cognition·W Tecumseh FitchNoam Chomsky
Apr 6, 2006·The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America·Ryuji SuzukiPeter L Tyack
Apr 28, 2006·Nature·Gary F Marcus
Apr 28, 2006·Nature·Timothy Q GentnerHoward C Nusbaum
Mar 1, 1995·Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior·S WatanabeM Wakita
Aug 16, 2006·Animal Cognition·Shigeru Watanabe, Ludwig Huber
Mar 28, 2007·Current Opinion in Neurobiology·Kazuo Okanoya
Aug 25, 2007·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·David Premack
Sep 15, 2007·Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience·Michael C Corballis
Oct 30, 2007·Neuron·Rodney J Douglas, Kevan A C Martin
Oct 2, 2008·The Behavioral and Brain Sciences·Morten H Christiansen, Nick Chater
Oct 28, 2009·The Behavioral and Brain Sciences·Nicholas Evans, Stephen C Levinson
Jul 8, 2007·Cognitive Science·Michael C Corballis

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Citations

May 13, 2014·Cognitive Processing·David J Lobina
Jan 16, 2014·Cognitive Neurodynamics·Steven Ravett Brown
Apr 26, 2014·Consciousness and Cognition·Giuseppe Vicari, Mauro Adenzato
Oct 22, 2015·Behavior Research Methods·Maurício Dias MartinsW Tecumseh Fitch
Oct 11, 2012·Journal of Biomedical Semantics·Ke RavikumarKarin Verspoor

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Related Concepts

Trending Feeds

COVID-19

Coronaviruses encompass a large family of viruses that cause the common cold as well as more serious diseases, such as the ongoing outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19; formally known as 2019-nCoV). Coronaviruses can spread from animals to humans; symptoms include fever, cough, shortness of breath, and breathing difficulties; in more severe cases, infection can lead to death. This feed covers recent research on COVID-19.

Blastomycosis

Blastomycosis fungal infections spread through inhaling Blastomyces dermatitidis spores. Discover the latest research on blastomycosis fungal infections here.

Nuclear Pore Complex in ALS/FTD

Alterations in nucleocytoplasmic transport, controlled by the nuclear pore complex, may be involved in the pathomechanism underlying multiple neurodegenerative diseases including Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Dementia. Here is the latest research on the nuclear pore complex in ALS and FTD.

Applications of Molecular Barcoding

The concept of molecular barcoding is that each original DNA or RNA molecule is attached to a unique sequence barcode. Sequence reads having different barcodes represent different original molecules, while sequence reads having the same barcode are results of PCR duplication from one original molecule. Discover the latest research on molecular barcoding here.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Chronic fatigue syndrome is a disease characterized by unexplained disabling fatigue; the pathology of which is incompletely understood. Discover the latest research on chronic fatigue syndrome here.

Evolution of Pluripotency

Pluripotency refers to the ability of a cell to develop into three primary germ cell layers of the embryo. This feed focuses on the mechanisms that underlie the evolution of pluripotency. Here is the latest research.

Position Effect Variegation

Position Effect Variagation occurs when a gene is inactivated due to its positioning near heterochromatic regions within a chromosome. Discover the latest research on Position Effect Variagation here.

STING Receptor Agonists

Stimulator of IFN genes (STING) are a group of transmembrane proteins that are involved in the induction of type I interferon that is important in the innate immune response. The stimulation of STING has been an active area of research in the treatment of cancer and infectious diseases. Here is the latest research on STING receptor agonists.

Microbicide

Microbicides are products that can be applied to vaginal or rectal mucosal surfaces with the goal of preventing, or at least significantly reducing, the transmission of sexually transmitted infections. Here is the latest research on microbicides.

Related Papers

American Journal of Public Health and the Nation's Health
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences
Derek C Penn, Daniel J Povinelli
© 2021 Meta ULC. All rights reserved