All Tied in Knots
David J. Lobina · Biolinguistics · 2012
In this note, I wish to critique a proposal put forward by Camps & Uriagereka (2006; CU BEA) regarding the study of the evolution of language. In particular, I intend to cast doubt on the connection they draw between the computational properties of the language faculty and those involved in the conceptualization of a knot. In what follows, I will offer a rather negative commentary, in the sense that no alternative will be forthcoming. In fact, one of the main points of this paper will be that there is no phenomenon to explain at all; or at least it has not been properly formulated. The general idea underlying what CU Joshi et al. 1990); thus the computational system underlying language is of such power. Further, the mathematical structure of knots may be studied by employing the tools of Knot Theory, a subfield of mathematical topology. According to C&U, and citing a work from this literature (viz. Mount 1989), knots can only be created/ described by a context-sensitive system, a conclusion they take to be “not subject to rational debate” (p. 63). In a related manner, BEA conclude, citing another