Cabrera, Frank (2017) Cladistic Parsimony, Historical Linguistics and Cultural Phylogenetics. Mind and Language, 32 (1). pp. 65-100.
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Abstract
Here, I consider the recent application of phylogenetic methods in historical linguistics. After a preliminary survey of one such method, i.e. cladistic parsimony, I respond to two common criticisms of cultural phylogenies: that cultural artifacts cannot be modeled as tree-like because of borrowing across lineages, and that the mechanism of cultural change differs radically from that of biological evolution. I argue that while perhaps remains true for certain cultural artifacts, the nature of language may be such as to side-step this objection. Moreover, I explore the possibility that cladistic parsimony can be justified even if is true by appealing to the inference pattern known among philosophers as ‘Inference to the Best Explanation’.
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| Item Type: | Published Article or Volume | ||||||
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| Keywords: | Parsimony Historical Linguistics Phylogenetic Inference Inference to the Best Explanation IBE Likelihoodism | ||||||
| Subjects: | Specific Sciences > Biology Specific Sciences > Biology > Systematics Specific Sciences > Cognitive Science General Issues > Confirmation/Induction General Issues > Explanation |
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| Depositing User: | Frank Cabrera | ||||||
| Date Deposited: | 31 Jul 2017 01:00 | ||||||
| Last Modified: | 31 Jul 2017 01:00 | ||||||
| Item ID: | 13276 | ||||||
| Journal or Publication Title: | Mind and Language | ||||||
| Official URL: | http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com.ezproxy.library.wis... | ||||||
| Subjects: | Specific Sciences > Biology Specific Sciences > Biology > Systematics Specific Sciences > Cognitive Science General Issues > Confirmation/Induction General Issues > Explanation |
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| Date: | 2017 | ||||||
| Page Range: | pp. 65-100 | ||||||
| Volume: | 32 | ||||||
| Number: | 1 | ||||||
| URI: | https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/13276 |
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