Grammar Structure and the Dynamics of Language Evolution

The complexity, variation, and change of human languages makes evident the importance of representation and learning in the acquisition and evolution of language. For example, analytic studies of simple languages in unstructured populations have shown complex dynamics, depending on the fidelity of language transmission. In this study we extend these analysis of evolutionary dynamics to include complex grammars inspired by the principles and parameters paradigm. In particular the space of languages is structured so that some pairs of languages are more similar than others, and mutations tend to change languages to nearby variants. We found that coherence emerges even with low learning fidelity.

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2005
• Where: ECAL
• Authors: Yoosook Lee, Travis C. Collier, Gregory M. Kobele, Edward P. Stabler, Charles E. Taylor
• Keywords: Complex Dynamics, ECAL 2005, Human Languages, Simple Languages