Iconicity in the evolution of language: computational models and laboratory experiments

Abstract

The emergence of human language is a complex process, and to investigate the role of iconicity in this, researchers have combined insights from computational models with empirical observations from laboratory experiments. This chapter provides an overview of the most important insights on the interaction between iconicity and other linguistic properties such as combinatoriality and systematicity. In the experimental and computational work we report, it is shown how iconicity can affect the way in which emerging languages are learned and used. We also discuss how computational methods can help to better understand the gradient and subjective nature of iconicity.