Crosslinguistic word order variation reflects evolutionary pressures of dependency and information locality
Languages vary considerably in syntactic structure. About 40% of the world's languages
have subject–verb–object order, and about 40% have subject–object–verb order. Extensive …
have subject–verb–object order, and about 40% have subject–object–verb order. Extensive …
Even lawyers do not like legalese
Across modern civilization, societal norms and rules are established and communicated
largely in the form of written laws. Despite their prevalence and importance, legal documents …
largely in the form of written laws. Despite their prevalence and importance, legal documents …
Characterizing the dynamics of learning in repeated reference games
The language we use over the course of conversation changes as we establish common
ground and learn what our partner finds meaningful. Here we draw upon recent advances in …
ground and learn what our partner finds meaningful. Here we draw upon recent advances in …
Redundancy can benefit learning: Evidence from word order and case marking
The prevalence of redundancy in the world languages has long puzzled language
researchers. It is especially surprising in light of the growing evidence on speakers' …
researchers. It is especially surprising in light of the growing evidence on speakers' …
Assessing the strengths and weaknesses of Large Language Models
S Lappin - Journal of Logic, Language and Information, 2024 - Springer
The transformers that drive chatbots and other AI systems constitute large language models
(LLMs). These are currently the focus of a lively discussion in both the scientific literature …
(LLMs). These are currently the focus of a lively discussion in both the scientific literature …
Context limitations make neural language models more human-like
Language models (LMs) have been used in cognitive modeling as well as engineering
studies--they compute information-theoretic complexity metrics that simulate humans' …
studies--they compute information-theoretic complexity metrics that simulate humans' …
[HTML][HTML] When do languages use the same word for different meanings? The Goldilocks principle in colexification
T Brochhagen, G Boleda - Cognition, 2022 - Elsevier
Lexical ambiguity is pervasive in language, and often systematic. For instance, the Spanish
word dedo can refer to a toe or a finger, that is, these two meanings colexify in Spanish; and …
word dedo can refer to a toe or a finger, that is, these two meanings colexify in Spanish; and …
Systematic mappings of sound to meaning: A theoretical review
DA Haslett, ZG Cai - Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 2024 - Springer
The form of a word sometimes conveys semantic information. For example, the iconic word
gurgle sounds like what it means, and busy is easy to identify as an English adjective …
gurgle sounds like what it means, and busy is easy to identify as an English adjective …
Cultural evolution creates the statistical structure of language
Human language is unique in its structure: language is made up of parts that can be
recombined in a productive way. The parts are not given but have to be discovered by …
recombined in a productive way. The parts are not given but have to be discovered by …
The evolution of color naming reflects pressure for efficiency: Evidence from the recent past
N Zaslavsky, K Garvin, C Kemp… - Journal of Language …, 2022 - academic.oup.com
It has been proposed that semantic systems evolve under pressure for efficiency. This
hypothesis has so far been supported largely indirectly, by synchronic cross-language …
hypothesis has so far been supported largely indirectly, by synchronic cross-language …