\( % groupings of objects. \newcommand{\set}[1]{\left\{ #1 \right\}} \newcommand{\seq}[1]{\left(#1\right)} \newcommand{\ang}[1]{\langle#1\rangle} \newcommand{\tuple}[1]{\left(#1\right)} \newcommand{\size}[1]{\left| #1\right|} \newcommand{\comp}{\circ} % numerical shortcuts. \newcommand{\abs}[1]{\left| #1\right|} \newcommand{\floor}[1]{\left\lfloor #1 \right\rfloor} \newcommand{\ceil}[1]{\left\lceil #1 \right\rceil} % linear algebra shortcuts. \newcommand{\change}{\Delta} \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\left\| #1\right\|} \newcommand{\dprod}[1]{\langle#1\rangle} \newcommand{\linspan}[1]{\langle#1\rangle} \newcommand{\conj}[1]{\overline{#1}} \newcommand{\der}[1]{\frac{d#1}{dx}} \newcommand{\lap}{\Delta} \newcommand{\kron}{\otimes} \newcommand{\nperp}{\nvdash} \newcommand{\mat}[1]{\left[ \begin{smallmatrix}#1 \end{smallmatrix} \right]} % derivatives and limits \newcommand{\partder}[2]{\frac{\partial #1}{\partial #2}} \newcommand{\partdern}[3]{\frac{\partial^{#3 #1}}{\partial #2^{#3}}} \newcommand{\gradient}{\nabla} \newcommand{\subdifferential}{\partial} % Arrows \newcommand{\diverge}{\nearrow} \newcommand{\notto}{\nrightarrow} \newcommand{\up}{\uparrow} \newcommand{\down}{\downarrow} % gets and gives are defined! % ordering operators \newcommand{\oleq}{\preceq} \newcommand{\ogeq}{\succeq} % programming and logic operators \newcommand{\dfn}{:=} \newcommand{\assign}{:=} \newcommand{\co}{\ co\ } \newcommand{\en}{\ en\ } % logic operators \newcommand{\xor}{\oplus} \newcommand{\Land}{\bigwedge} \newcommand{\Lor}{\bigvee} \newcommand{\finish}{\Box} \newcommand{\contra}{\Rightarrow \Leftarrow} \newcommand{\iseq}{\stackrel{_?{=}}} % Set theory \newcommand{\symdiff}{\Delta} \newcommand{\setdiff}{\backslash} \newcommand{\union}{\cup} \newcommand{\inters}{\cap} \newcommand{\Union}{\bigcup} \newcommand{\Inters}{\bigcap} \newcommand{\nullSet}{\phi} % graph theory \newcommand{\nbd}{\Gamma} % Script alphabets % For reals, use \Re % greek letters \newcommand{\eps}{\epsilon} \newcommand{\del}{\delta} \newcommand{\ga}{\alpha} \newcommand{\gb}{\beta} \newcommand{\gd}{\del} \newcommand{\gp}{\pi} \newcommand{\gf}{\phi} \newcommand{\gh}{\eta} \newcommand{\gF}{\Phi} \newcommand{\gl}{\lambda} \newcommand{\gm}{\mu} \newcommand{\gn}{\nu} \newcommand{\gr}{\rho} \newcommand{\gs}{\sigma} \newcommand{\gth}{\theta} \newcommand{\gx}{\xi} \newcommand{\gw}{\omega} \newcommand{\sw}{\sigma} \newcommand{\SW}{\Sigma} \newcommand{\ew}{\lambda} \newcommand{\EW}{\Lambda} \newcommand{\Del}{\Delta} \newcommand{\gD}{\Delta} \newcommand{\gG}{\Gamma} \newcommand{\gW}{\Omega} \newcommand{\gS}{\Sigma} \newcommand{\gTh}{\Theta} % Bold english letters. \newcommand{\bA}{\mathbf{A}} \newcommand{\bB}{\mathbf{B}} \newcommand{\bC}{\mathbf{C}} \newcommand{\bD}{\mathbf{D}} \newcommand{\bE}{\mathbf{E}} \newcommand{\bF}{\mathbf{F}} \newcommand{\bG}{\mathbf{G}} \newcommand{\bH}{\mathbf{H}} \newcommand{\bI}{\mathbf{I}} \newcommand{\bJ}{\mathbf{J}} \newcommand{\bK}{\mathbf{K}} \newcommand{\bL}{\mathbf{L}} \newcommand{\bM}{\mathbf{M}} \newcommand{\bN}{\mathbf{N}} \newcommand{\bO}{\mathbf{O}} \newcommand{\bP}{\mathbf{P}} \newcommand{\bQ}{\mathbf{Q}} \newcommand{\bR}{\mathbf{R}} \newcommand{\bS}{\mathbf{S}} \newcommand{\bT}{\mathbf{T}} \newcommand{\bU}{\mathbf{U}} \newcommand{\bV}{\mathbf{V}} \newcommand{\bW}{\mathbf{W}} \newcommand{\bX}{\mathbf{X}} \newcommand{\bY}{\mathbf{Y}} \newcommand{\bZ}{\mathbf{Z}} \newcommand{\bba}{\mathbf{a}} \newcommand{\bbb}{\mathbf{b}} \newcommand{\bbc}{\mathbf{c}} \newcommand{\bbd}{\mathbf{d}} \newcommand{\bbe}{\mathbf{e}} \newcommand{\bbf}{\mathbf{f}} \newcommand{\bbg}{\mathbf{g}} \newcommand{\bbh}{\mathbf{h}} \newcommand{\bbk}{\mathbf{k}} \newcommand{\bbl}{\mathbf{l}} \newcommand{\bbm}{\mathbf{m}} \newcommand{\bbn}{\mathbf{n}} \newcommand{\bbp}{\mathbf{p}} \newcommand{\bbq}{\mathbf{q}} \newcommand{\bbr}{\mathbf{r}} \newcommand{\bbs}{\mathbf{s}} \newcommand{\bbt}{\mathbf{t}} \newcommand{\bbu}{\mathbf{u}} \newcommand{\bbv}{\mathbf{v}} \newcommand{\bbw}{\mathbf{w}} \newcommand{\bbx}{\mathbf{x}} \newcommand{\bby}{\mathbf{y}} \newcommand{\bbz}{\mathbf{z}} \newcommand{\0}{\mathbf{0}} \newcommand{\1}{\mathbf{1}} % Caligraphic english alphabet \newcommand{\cA}{\mathcal{A}} \newcommand{\cB}{\mathcal{B}} \newcommand{\cC}{\mathcal{C}} \newcommand{\cD}{\mathcal{D}} \newcommand{\cE}{\mathcal{E}} \newcommand{\cF}{\mathcal{F}} \newcommand{\cG}{\mathcal{G}} \newcommand{\cH}{\mathcal{H}} \newcommand{\cI}{\mathcal{I}} \newcommand{\cJ}{\mathcal{J}} \newcommand{\cK}{\mathcal{K}} \newcommand{\cL}{\mathcal{L}} \newcommand{\cM}{\mathcal{M}} \newcommand{\cN}{\mathcal{N}} \newcommand{\cO}{\mathcal{O}} \newcommand{\cP}{\mathcal{P}} \newcommand{\cQ}{\mathcal{Q}} \newcommand{\cR}{\mathcal{R}} \newcommand{\cS}{\mathcal{S}} \newcommand{\cT}{\mathcal{T}} \newcommand{\cU}{\mathcal{U}} \newcommand{\cV}{\mathcal{V}} \newcommand{\cW}{\mathcal{W}} \newcommand{\cX}{\mathcal{X}} \newcommand{\cY}{\mathcal{Y}} \newcommand{\cZ}{\mathcal{Z}} % Formatting shortcuts \newcommand{\red}[1]{\textcolor{red}{#1}} \newcommand{\blue}[1]{\textcolor{blue}{#1}} \newcommand{\htext}[2]{\texorpdfstring{#1}{#2}} % Statistics \newcommand{\distr}{\sim} \newcommand{\stddev}{\sigma} \newcommand{\covmatrix}{\Sigma} \newcommand{\mean}{\mu} \newcommand{\param}{\theta} \newcommand{\gthEst}{\hat{\theta}} \newcommand{\ftr}{\phi} \newcommand{\est}[1]{\hat{#1}} % General utility \newcommand{\todo}[1]{\textbf{[TODO]}] \footnote{TODO: #1}} \newcommand{\tbc}{[\textbf{Incomplete}]} \newcommand{\chk}{[\textbf{Check}]} \newcommand{\why}{[\textbf{Find proof}]} \newcommand{\opt}[1]{\textit{#1}} \newcommand{\experience}[1]{[\textbf{Personal Experience}]: #1 \blacktriangle} \newcommand{\pf}[1]{[\textbf{Proof}]: #1 \Box} \newcommand{\core}[1]{\textbf{Core Idea}: #1 \Arrowvert} \newcommand{\example}[1]{\textbf{Example}: #1 \blacktriangle} \newcommand{\error}[1]{\textbf{Error alert}: #1 \triangle} \newcommand{\oprob}{[\textbf{OP}]: } \renewcommand{\~}{\htext{$\sim$}{~}} \DeclareMathOperator*{\argmin}{arg\,min} \DeclareMathOperator*{\argmax}{arg\,max} \)

Footnotes

13 How Much Grammar Do People Need?

*The concept of esoteric communication comes from work by Carol Thurston and by George Grace and Alison Wray. Its relevance to the analysis of Pirahã was first suggested in research by Jeanette Sakel and Eugenie Stapert, of the University of Manchester, England. Esoteric communication is communication that is used within, and partially defines, a well-defined group. Esoteric communication facilitates understanding because hearers are likely to anticipate what speakers are going to say in different situations. The language is not limited to old or predictable information, but that is the default. In fact, in Pirahã there is a special channel, as we have seen, musical speech, that is used for new information. This might explain the relative richness of both prosody and phonemes in musical speech—new information might require a slower rate of information and greater perceptibility in an esoteric group in the sense intended here. The linguist Tom Givon refers to a concept similar to esoteric communication in his phrase society of intimates. By this felicitous expression, Givon refers to small groups of people who speak together frequently and form a culture group together. Such groups share a greater amount of implicit information than other groups, even other groups who speak the same language.
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16 Crooked Heads and Straight Heads:

Perspectives on Language and Truth

*English imperative sentences, to be sure, usually appear without a subject, as in Run! But linguists agree that there is an understood subject here, since the subject of an imperative is always *you.*When I say “Run!” I don’t mean that just anyone should run, but that you should run.
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