The article by Steven Pinker and Ray Jackendoff examines the hypothesis that syntactic recursion is the unique aspect of language that distinguishes humans from other species, as proposed by Hauser, Chomsky, and Fitch. They argue that this hypothesis is problematic and inconsistent with various aspects of language, including phonology, morphology, and the anatomy and neural control of the human vocal tract. They also contest the claim that speech perception can be reduced to primate audition and that word learning can be reduced to fact learning. The authors suggest that the hypothesis is motivated by Chomsky's Minimalist Program, which de-emphasizes certain aspects of language. They propose that the language faculty evolved as a complex adaptation for communication, which includes both learned and innate components. They conclude that the hypothesis of recursion-only is not supported by the evidence and that the language faculty is a system of co-adapted traits that evolved through natural selection. They emphasize the importance of phonology, words, and syntax in understanding the unique aspects of human language.The article by Steven Pinker and Ray Jackendoff examines the hypothesis that syntactic recursion is the unique aspect of language that distinguishes humans from other species, as proposed by Hauser, Chomsky, and Fitch. They argue that this hypothesis is problematic and inconsistent with various aspects of language, including phonology, morphology, and the anatomy and neural control of the human vocal tract. They also contest the claim that speech perception can be reduced to primate audition and that word learning can be reduced to fact learning. The authors suggest that the hypothesis is motivated by Chomsky's Minimalist Program, which de-emphasizes certain aspects of language. They propose that the language faculty evolved as a complex adaptation for communication, which includes both learned and innate components. They conclude that the hypothesis of recursion-only is not supported by the evidence and that the language faculty is a system of co-adapted traits that evolved through natural selection. They emphasize the importance of phonology, words, and syntax in understanding the unique aspects of human language.