A Biolinguistics Critique on Principle and Parameter Theory

Anchored on linguistic innateness, Principle and Parameter (PP) Theory assumes Universal Grammar is composed of some principles or isomorphic biological structures, which extensively enhances researches in language acquisition, cross-language comparison, and language change.Based on current biolinguistics, the paper argues that PP Theory essentially misinterprets linguistic phonotype as linguistic genotype, and transforms problems of cross-language variations to typology derivations in formal method, failing to meet the requirements of explanatory adequacy and biological adequacy, and to explain language origin and evolution.Merger without cross-language variation is a biological design of language, and morphogenesis, a dynamic interaction between endogenous mechanism and epigenetic system, results in cross-language variations as post-syntax, which also explains the problems of the universal nature of genotype, ecological variation of phenotypes, and factors leading to such variations.