Case-marking systems evolve to be easy to learn and process

Behavioral and Brain Sciences 31 (5):534-535 (2008)
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Abstract

Christiansen & Chater (C&C) suggest that language is itself an evolutionary system, and that natural languages to be easy to learn and process. The tight economy of the world's case-marking systems lends support to this hypothesis. Only two major case systems occur, cross-linguistically, and noun phrases are seldom overtly case-marked wherever zero-marking would be functionally practical

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10.1017/s0140525x08005256

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