Derek Bickerton (born March 25, 1926) is a linguist and Professor Emeritus at the University of Hawaii, Honolulu. Based on his work in creole languages in Guyana and Hawaii, he has proposed that the features of creole languages provide powerful insights into the development of language both by individuals and as a feature of the human species. March 25 is the 84th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (85th in leap years). ... 1926 (MCMXXVI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar). ... Linguistics is the scientific study of language, which can be theoretical or applied. ... The meaning of the word professor (Latin: one who claims publicly to be an expert) varies. ... Emeritus (IPA pronunciation: or ) is an adjective that is used in the title of a retired professor, bishop or other professional. ... This article is about the University of Hawaii system. ... Honolulu as seen from the International Space Station Honolulu is the largest city and the capital of the U.S. state of Hawai‘i. ... A creole language, or simply a creole, is stable language that originated from a non-trivial combination of two or more languages, typically with many features that are not inherited from any parent. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... A creole language, or simply a creole, is stable language that originated from a non-trivial combination of two or more languages, typically with many features that are not inherited from any parent. ... The origin of language is a topic that has been written about for centuries, but the ephemeral nature of speech means that there is almost no data on which to base conclusions on the subject. ...

A graduate from the University of Cambridge, England in 1949, Derek Bickerton entered academic life in the 1960s, first as a lecturer in English Literature at the University of Cape Coast, Ghana, and then, after a year's postgraduate work in linguistics at the University of Leeds, as Senior Lecturer in Linguistics at the University of Guyana (1967-71). For twenty-four years he was a Professor of Linguistics at the University of Hawaii, having meanwhile received a Ph.D. in linguistics from the University of Cambridge (1976). The University of Cambridge (often Cambridge University), located in Cambridge, England, is the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world and has a reputation as one of the worlds most prestigious universities. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem God Save the King (Queen) England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Unified  -  by Athelstan 967 AD  Area  -  Total 130,395 km²  50,346 sq mi  Population  -  2006 estimate... The University of Cape Coast, Ghana, was established in 1962 out of a dire need for highly qualified and skilled manpower in education to provide leadership and enlightenment. ... The University of Leeds is a major teaching and research university, one of the largest in the United Kingdom with over 32,000 full-time students. ... The University of Guyana, in Georgetown, Guyana, was established in 1963 by the PPP administration. ... Linguistics is the scientific study of language, which can be theoretical or applied. ... This article is about the University of Hawaii system. ... The University of Cambridge (often Cambridge University), located in Cambridge, England, is the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world and has a reputation as one of the worlds most prestigious universities. ...

Known the world over for his work on the evolution of language, he is the author of many books, including Language and Species. Derek Bickerton's most recent book, Lingua ex Machina: Reconciling Darwin and Chomsky with the Human Brain, was co-written with William H. Calvin and published by MIT Press. Avram Noam Chomsky (born December 7, 1928) is Institute Professor Emeritus of linguistics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. ... William H. Calvin, Ph. ...

In his book Roots of Language, Bickerton speculates on a theory to answer three questions:

1. How did creole languages originate?
2. How do children acquire language?
3. How did the language faculty originate as a feature of the human species?

In Language and Species, he suggests that all three questions might be answered by speculating that the origin of language might be traced to the evolution of representation systems and symbolic thinking, together with a later development of formal syntax. Using primitive communication faculties, which then evolved in parallel, mental models became shared representations subject to cultural evolution. In Lingua ex Machina he and William Calvin revise this speculative theory by considering the biological foundations of symbolic representation and their influence on the evolution of the brain. A creole language, or simply a creole, is stable language that originated from a non-trivial combination of two or more languages, typically with many features that are not inherited from any parent. ... Language acquisition is the process by which the language capability develops in a human. ... Trinomial name Homo sapiens sapiens Linnaeus, 1758 Humans, or human beings, are bipedal primates belonging to the mammalian species Homo sapiens (Latin: wise man or knowing man) in the family Hominidae (the great apes). ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... This article is about evolution in biology. ... For other uses, see Syntax (disambiguation). ... Communication allows people to exchange thoughts by one of several methods. ... Cultural evolution is the structural change of a society and its values over time. ... Italic text // ahh addiing sum spiice iin hurr`` For other uses, see Brain (disambiguation). ...

Bibliography

• Tropicana, A Novel., 1963
• Dynamics Of A Creole System, 1975
• Bickerton, Derek (1981). Roots of Language. Karoma Publishers. ISBN 0-89720-044-6. 
• The language bioprogram hypothesis, in: The Behavioral Sciences 7, 173-188, 1984.
• Bickerton, Derek (1990). Language and Species. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 0-226-04610-9. 
• Language and Human Behavior, 1995
• Lingua ex Machina: Reconciling Darwin and Chomsky with the Human Brain, 2000 (co-author with William H. Calvin)

William H. Calvin, Ph. ...

External links

• A brief self-description related to Lingua Ex Machina.