Universal Grammar and the curious case of missing recursion

The Chronicle of Higher Education “Angry Words”

What I find interesting about this debate beyond its specific application to linguistics is the question it raises about aboriginal cultures. I have always wondered about the validity of studying hunter-gatherer societies under the assumption that they represent a window into the ways of our ancient ancestors. Such a view seems to ignore the possibility that these societies have continued to evolve alongside agrarian societies. But if it is not valid to view modern hunter-gatherers as representative of ancient ancestors, there is also a sadness in this reality: we might never truly know what our earlier societies were like.

There is also a fascinating story here about cultural selection: what is undeniable is that cultures like the Pirahã are being driven extinct by the dominant cultures that surround them. This too is sad, and brings up complicated questions about why one culture persists while another disappears, especially when two cultures compete alongside each other.