recursive

(adjective)

Used to describe a language with units (such as sentences or phrases) that can contain themselves (such as sentences within sentences or phrases within phrases).

Related Terms

Examples of recursive in the following topics:

  • Introduction to Human Language

    • Human language is unique because it is generative, recursive, and has displacement.
    • Specifically, human language is unique on the planet because it has the qualities of generativity, recursion, and displacement.
    • Human language is recursive.
    • Obviously, the recursive abilities of language are constrained by the limits of time and memory.
    • Human language is also modality-independent—that is, it is possible to use the features of displacement, generativity, and recursion across multiple modes.