Iterated teaching can optimise language functionality

Vera Kempe; Kamil Cichon; Nicolas Gauvrit; Monica Tamariz

Iterated teaching can optimise language functionality

Vera Kempe, Kamil Cichon, Nicolas Gauvrit, Monica Tamariz

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution

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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
Title of host publication	Proceedings of the 39th Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society
Place of Publication	Austin, TX
Publisher	Cognitive Science Society
Pages	651-656
Number of pages	6
ISBN (Electronic)	9780991196760
Publication status	Published - 18 Jul 2017
Event	39th Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society: Computational Foundations of Cognition - London, United Kingdom Duration: 26 Jul 2017 → 29 Jul 2017 Conference number: 39th http://www.cognitivesciencesociety.org/conference/cogsci2017/

Conference

Conference	39th Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society
Abbreviated title	COGSCI 2017
Country/Territory	United Kingdom
City	London
Period	26/07/17 → 29/07/17
Internet address	http://www.cognitivesciencesociety.org/conference/cogsci2017/

Keywords

Teaching
Iterated language learning
Cultural transmission
Algorithmic complexity
Compositional structure
Combinatorial structure

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Kempe_IteratedTeachingCanOptimiseLanguageFunctionality_Author_2017Accepted author manuscript, 424 KB

https://mindmodeling.org/cogsci2017/papers/0132/index.html

Cite this

@inproceedings{911dfa5722234b96a1ed5c5cba52eb6b,

title = "Iterated teaching can optimise language functionality",

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{\textquoteright} 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.",

author = "Vera Kempe and Kamil Cichon and Nicolas Gauvrit and Monica Tamariz",

year = "2017",

month = jul,

day = "18",

language = "English",

pages = "651--656",

booktitle = "Proceedings of the 39th Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society",

publisher = "Cognitive Science Society",

note = "39th Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society : Computational Foundations of Cognition, COGSCI 2017 ; Conference date: 26-07-2017 Through 29-07-2017",

url = "http://www.cognitivesciencesociety.org/conference/cogsci2017/",

}

Kempe, V, Cichon, K, Gauvrit, N & Tamariz, M 2017, Iterated teaching can optimise language functionality. in Proceedings of the 39th Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society. Cognitive Science Society, Austin, TX, pp. 651-656, 39th Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, London, United Kingdom, 26/07/17. <https://mindmodeling.org/cogsci2017/papers/0132/index.html>

TY - GEN

T1 - Iterated teaching can optimise language functionality

AU - Kempe, Vera

AU - Cichon, Kamil

AU - Gauvrit, Nicolas

AU - Tamariz, Monica

N1 - Conference code: 39th

PY - 2017/7/18

Y1 - 2017/7/18

N2 - 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.

AB - 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.

M3 - Conference contribution

SP - 651

EP - 656

BT - Proceedings of the 39th Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society

PB - Cognitive Science Society

CY - Austin, TX

T2 - 39th Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society

Y2 - 26 July 2017 through 29 July 2017

ER -

Iterated teaching can optimise language functionality

Abstract

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