Reflexivity, Functional Reference, and Modularity: Alternative Targets for Language Origins

Researchers in language origins typically try to explain how compositional communication might evolve bridge the gap between animal and natural language. However, as an explanatory target, compositionality has been shown be problematic for a gradualist approach evolution of In this paper, I suggest that reflexivity provides apt plausible alternative target which does not succumb problems faces. further proto-reflexivity, depends upon functional reference, gives rise complex systems via modular composition.