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Newmeyer, F. J. (1991) Functional explanation in linguistics and the origins of language. Language and Communication, 11(1-2):3--28.
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   Authoritative: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0271-5309(91)90011-J   (Publisher's PDF... likely be available here.)
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Abstract

It is necessary to relate functional explanations to the whole issue of innateness, which has been so crucial in the development of formal explanations in linguistics. For instance, it is not excluded that functional principles might be innate.... This raises the interesting question of how innate ideas turn out to be `correct' (more accurately, functionally valuable) ideas, as the result of selectional pressure in evolution. (Comrie, 1983, p. 99.)
BibTex
@article{newmeyer91functional,
  author={F. J. Newmeyer},
  title={Functional explanation in linguistics and the origins of language},
  journal={Language and Communication},
  year={1991},
  volume={11},
  number={1-2},
  pages={3-28},
  doi={10.1016/0271-5309(91)90011-J},
  url={http://www.isrl.uiuc.edu/~amag/langev/paper/newmeyer91functional.html}
}