summary chomsky single mutation couple weeks ago posted query alleged quotation chomsky quote came gordon hewes anthropologist specialist language origins 1977 paper language origin theories duane rumbaugh book _ language learning chimpanzee _ page 43 hewes asserts chomsky explicitly attributed human language faculty single genetic mutation one ancestors source given chomsky 1967 item appears hewes bibliography indeed works chomsky therefore asked anybody could point statement chomsky works received seven responses people either know chomsky personally take professional interest either chomsky work language origins one aware statement chomsky either print elsewhere couple people flatly disbelieve chomsky ever said thing tracked read chomsky 1967 publications might relevant find suggestion though two make passing remarks language origins also skimmed chomsky books _ cartesian linguistics _ 1966 _ language mind _ 1968 1972 _ knowledge language _ 1986 without finding statement though nt read carefully appears chomsky made suggestion hewes statement must result kind error misunderstanding find odd though since hewes well known specialist language origins since remark occurs middle generally welldocumented survey earlier suggestions origin evolution language peculiar thanks keith mccormick robert freidin scott delancey vivian cook rich hilliard massimo piattelli palmarini raf salkie helpful responses larry trask cogs university sussex brighton bn1 9qh england larryt cogs susx ac uk