Mathematics, Recursion, and Universals in Human Languages

TL;DR

This paper clarifies the mathematical definition of recursion and applies it to linguistic recursion, providing insights into universal features of human languages related to cognitive and mathematical reasoning.

Contribution

It introduces a standard mathematical framework for understanding linguistic recursion and explores its implications for universal aspects of human languages.

Findings

Clarifies the mathematical definition of recursion for linguistic analysis

Links linguistic recursion to cognitive constructs and mathematical model theory

Provides insights into universal features of human languages related to recursion

Abstract

There are many scientific problems generated by the multiple and conflicting alternative definitions of linguistic recursion and human recursive processing that exist in the literature. The purpose of this article is to make available to the linguistic community the standard mathematical definition of recursion and to apply it to discuss linguistic recursion. As a byproduct, we obtain an insight into certain "soft universals" of human languages, which are related to cognitive constructs necessary to implement mathematical reasoning, i.e. mathematical model theory.