Fitch W Tecumseh, Hauser Marc D
School of Psychology, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, Fife, KY16 9AJ, Scotland.
Science. 2004 Jan 16;303(5656):377-80. doi: 10.1126/science.1089401.
The capacity to generate a limitless range of meaningful expressions from a finite set of elements differentiates human language from other animal communication systems. Rule systems capable of generating an infinite set of outputs ("grammars") vary in generative power. The weakest possess only local organizational principles, with regularities limited to neighboring units. We used a familiarization/discrimination paradigm to demonstrate that monkeys can spontaneously master such grammars. However, human language entails more sophisticated grammars, incorporating hierarchical structure. Monkeys tested with the same methods, syllables, and sequence lengths were unable to master a grammar at this higher, "phrase structure grammar" level.
人类语言能够从有限的元素集中生成无限多样的有意义表达，这使其有别于其他动物的交流系统。能够生成无限输出集（“语法”）的规则系统在生成能力上各有不同。最薄弱的规则系统仅具备局部组织原则，规律仅限于相邻单元。我们采用了熟悉/辨别范式来证明猴子能够自发掌握此类语法。然而，人类语言需要更复杂的语法，包含层次结构。用相同方法、音节和序列长度对猴子进行测试时，它们无法掌握这种更高层次的“短语结构语法”。
