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Abstract

This response argues against the proposal that novel utterances are formed by analogy with stored exemplars that are close in meaning. Strings of words that are similar in meaning or even identical can behave very differently once inserted into different syntactic environments. Furthermore, phrases with similar meanings but different underlying syntactic structures can give rise to disparities in meaning in particular contexts. In short, analogy falls short of explaining both adult knowledge of language and children’s syntactic development.

Keywords

Analogy formal linguistics hierarchical structure linguistic principles Universal Grammar

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References

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(2020). Syntax and the failure of analogical generalisation: A commentary on Ambridge (2020). First Language 40(5-6): 560–563.

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(2020). Against stored abstractions: A radical exemplar model of language acquisition. First Language 40(5-6): 509–559.

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Like dishwashing detergents,all analogies are not the same: A commentary on Ambridge (2020)

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