Merge is therefore not a prerequisite for human language. Moreover, even if it were, Merge is not specific to language. It is an example of the well-known process of associative learning, of the type that made Pavlov’s dog famous. Pavlov’s pooch learned to associate a ringing bell with food. The bell was rung just as the food was served. Eventually the dog ‘merged’ these two concepts, bell and food, and would salivate at the sound of a bell.
