Linguistic Selection of Language Strategies

Bleys, Joris; Steels, Luc

doi:10.1007/978-3-642-21314-4_19

Cited by 5 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…These studies show that cultural transmission can account for the emergence of structure in communication systems. In particular, communication systems adapt to constraints inherent in the learning process: domain-general limitations in our memory and processing capabilities (Christiansen & Chater, 2008) introduce a LEARNABILITY PRESSURE (Brighton, Kirby & Smith, 2005) (Beckner et al, 2009;Cornish, Tamariz & Kirby, 2009) solves this problem of linkage because we can consider how short-term LANGUAGE STRATEGIES (Evans & Green, 2006: 110) used in solving immediate communicative needs can give rise to LANGUAGE SYSTEMS through long-term patterns of learning and use (Bleys & Steels, 2009;).…”

Section: 1mentioning

confidence: 99%

Languages adapt to their contextual niche

2014

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It is well established that context plays a fundamental role in how we learn and use language. Here we explore how context links short-term language use with the long-term emergence of different types of language system. Using an iterated learning model of cultural transmission, the current study experimentally investigates the role of the communicative situation in which an utterance is produced (situational context) and how it influences the emergence of three types of linguistic systems: underspecified languages (where only some dimensions of meaning are encoded linguistically), holistic systems (lacking systematic structure), and systematic languages (consisting of compound signals encoding both category-level and individuating dimensions of meaning). To do this, we set up a discrimination task in a communication game and manipulated whether the feature dimension shape was relevant or not in discriminating between two referents. The experimental languages gradually evolved to encode information relevant to the task of achieving communicative success, given the situational context in which they are learned and used, resulting in the emergence of different linguistic systems. These results suggest language systems adapt to their contextual niche over iterated learning.

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Section: 1mentioning

confidence: 99%

Languages adapt to their contextual niche

2014

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“…Rather than there being a straightforward link between our individual cognitive machinery and the features we observe in language, we are instead faced with an additional dynamical system: socio-cultural transmission. Treating language as a CAS (see section 2) solves this problem of linkage because we can consider how short-term language strategies (Evans and Green 2006: 110) can give rise to language systems through long-term patterns of learning and use (Bleys and Steels 2009;Steels 2012).…”

Section: Solving the Problem Of Linkagementioning

confidence: 99%

Integrating Cognitive Linguistics and language evolution research

Pleyer

Winters

2015

THS

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Abstract. In this paper we argue that we can gain important insights on the evolution of language and cognition by integrating evolutionary linguistics and the framework of Cognitive Linguistics. In Cognitive Linguistics, language is seen as tightly integrated with cognition as a whole. Construction Grammar and usage-based approaches are closely related to the Cognitive-Linguistic paradigm. Construction Grammar proposes that knowledge of language can be defined as the knowledge of form-meaning pairings of different degrees of schematicity and complexity, whereas usage-based approaches stress that language acquisition and processing are based on instances of actual language usage. As we demonstrate in this paper, concepts from Cognitive Linguistics, Construction Grammar, and usage-based approaches can help in elucidating the cognitive and interactional factors involved in language evolution. The paper will focus on two main areas: In evolutionary linguistics, language is seen as a complex adaptive system whose structure emerges out of the interaction of three other complex adaptive systems at three different timescales: ontogeny, glossogeny, and phylogeny. Cognitive Linguistics can help in specifying common cognitive factors and processes that play a role on all three of these timescales. Secondly, a Cognitive-Linguistic and constructionist, usage-based perspective can shed light on the cognitive factors underlying the origin of the division of labour between contentful ("lexical") and procedural ("grammatical") constructions in language structure. In a Cognitive-Linguistic perspective, this development can be related to the trade-off between the cognitive factors of learnability and expressivity.

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“…The dominance of a strategy will decide on which communicative problems are considered more urgent by the language user, which repair functions have priority over the others, and which alignment functions have the biggest impact. Scores are updated using similar lateral inhibition dynamics as in previous language game experiments (Bleys & Steels, 2009).…”

Section: Language Strategiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This paper therefore presents a concrete multi-agent model that investigates the evolution of pronoun systems through a case study of Spanish, in which the pronouns are currently shifting from a caseto a referential-based system (Valenzuela et al, to appear). The model studies pronoun evolution at two different levels (Bleys & Steels, 2009;Steels, submitted):…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

STRATEGY COMPETITION IN THE EVOLUTION OF PRONOUNS: A CASE-STUDY OF SPANISH LEÍSMO, LAÍSMO AND LOÍSMO

Trijp

2010

The Evolution of Language

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Pronouns form a particularly interesting part-of-speech for evolutionary linguistics because their development is often lagging behind with respect to other changes in their language. Many hypotheses on pronoun evolution exist-both for explaining their initial resilience to change as well as for why they eventually cave in to evolutionary pressures-but so far, no one has proposed a formal model yet that operationalizes these explanations in a unified theory. This paper therefore presents a computational model of pronoun evolution in a multi-agent population; and argues that pronoun evolution can best be understood as an interplay between the level of language strategies, which are the procedures for learning, expanding and aligning particular features of language, and the level of the specific language systems that instantiate these strategies in terms of concrete words, morphemes and grammatical structures. This claim is supported by a case study on Spanish pronouns, which are currently undergoing an evolution from a case-to a referential-based system, the latter of which there exist multiple variations (which are called leísmo, laísmo and loísmo depending on the type of change).

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Linguistic Selection of Language Strategies

Cited by 5 publications

References 8 publications

Languages adapt to their contextual niche

Languages adapt to their contextual niche

Integrating Cognitive Linguistics and language evolution research

STRATEGY COMPETITION IN THE EVOLUTION OF PRONOUNS: A CASE-STUDY OF SPANISH LEÍSMO, LAÍSMO AND LOÍSMO

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