Abstract
Experimental studies of the cultural evolution of language have focused on how constraints on learning and communication drive emergence of linguistic structure. Yet language is typically transmitted by experts who adjust the input in ways that facilitates learning by novices, e.g. through child-directed speech. Using iterated language learning of binary auditory sequences, we explored how language change is affected by experts' intention to teach the language to novices. Comparison between teaching chains and simple transmission chains revealed that teaching was associated with a greater rate of innovation which led to emergence of more expressive languages consisting of shorter signals. This is the first study to show that during cultural transmission, teaching can modify, and potentially optimise, functional characteristics of language.
| Original language | English |
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| Title of host publication | Proceedings of the 39th Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society |
| Publisher | Cognitive Science Society |
| Pages | 651-656 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9780991196760 |
| Publication status | Published - 2017 |
| Event | 39th Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society 2017 - London, United Kingdom Duration: 26 Jul 2017 → 29 Jul 2017 |
Conference
| Conference | 39th Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society 2017 |
|---|---|
| Abbreviated title | CogSci 2017 |
| Country/Territory | United Kingdom |
| City | London |
| Period | 26/07/17 → 29/07/17 |
Keywords
- algorithmic complexity
- combinatorial structure
- compositional structure
- cultural transmission
- iterated language learning
- Teaching
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Artificial Intelligence
- Computer Science Applications
- Human-Computer Interaction
- Cognitive Neuroscience