Learning, Bottlenecks and Infinity: a working model of the evolution of syntactic communication (1999) [4 citations — 0 self]
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author = {Simon Kirby},
title = {Learning, Bottlenecks and Infinity: a working model of the evolution of syntactic communication},
booktitle = {In Dautenhahn, K. & Nehaniv, C. (Eds.) Proceedings of the AISB'99 Symposium on Imitation in Animals and Artifacts},
year = {1999},
pages = {55--63},
publisher = {University Press}
}
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Abstract:
Human language is unique in having a learned, arbitrary mapping between meanings and signals that is compositional and recursive. This paper presents a new approach to understanding its origins and evolution. Rather than turning to natural selection for an explanation, it is argued that general properties of the transmission of learned behaviour are sufficient to explain the particular properties of language. A computational model of linguistic transmission is described in which complex structured languages spontaneously emerge in populations of learners, even though the populations have no language initially, and are not subject to any equivalent of biological change. These results are claimed to be general and are explained in terms of properties of mappings. Essentially, as mappings are passed down through generations of imitators, syntactic ones are intrinsically better at surviving through the learning "bottleneck". 1 Introduction Why does human language have certain properties a...
