guy deutscher's The Unfolding of Language (2005)

Question 1

what is the reason for ECONOMY?

Answer 1

Economy: the tendency to save effort, and is behind the short-cuts speakers often take in pronunciation. Example: wa’er (glottal stops)

Question 2

what is the reason for EXPRESSIVENESS?

Answer 2

Expressiveness: refers to speakers’ attempts to achieve greater effect for their language to their range of meaning, the results of this hyperbole can often be self-defeating since the repetition of emphatic phrases can cause aninflationaryprocess that devalues their currency. Example: love

Question 3

what is the reason for ANALOGY?

Answer 3

Analogy: the mind’s craving for order, the instinctive need of speakers to find regularity in language. Example: children’s language acquisition.