By Juan Uriagereka
The Chomsky Hierarchy (CH) gives a first approximation as to where human syntax lies in an abstract logical space: the generating device accepting appropriate languages should be slightly more powerful than a standard Push-Down Automaton (a PDA+), although for familiar reasons not much more so. An evolutionary study of syntax ought to give us some clues as to how a PDA+ could have emerged in brains. The goal of my talk is to provide an approach to this question that is informed about contemporary considerations in the Evo-Devo paradigm and, especially, standard results in the study of syntax.