The emergentist program

This paper presents an overview of the diverse body of thought known as ‘emergentism’, as it is manifested in the study of language. It is suggested that a unifying theme of emergentist work is the rejection of inborn grammatical principles (Universal Grammar) in favor of more general mechanisms of cognition and learning. A variety of emergentist proposals are outlined and the general thrust of this work is compared to ideas that have recently been put forward within the Minimalist Program.