Coevolution of lexicon and syntax from a simulation perspective: Research Articles

  • Authors:

  • Tao Gong;James W. Minett;Jinyun Ke;John H. Holland;William S.-Y. Wang

  • Affiliations:

  • Department of Electronic Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territory, Hong Kong;Department of Electronic Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territory, Hong Kong;English Language Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109;Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109;Department of Electronic Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territory, Hong Kong

  • Venue:
  • Complexity
  • Year:
  • 2005

Quantified Score

Hi-index 0.00

Visualization

Abstract

Whether simple syntax (in the form of simple word order) can emerge during the emergence of lexicon is studied from a simulation perspective; a multiagent computational model is adopted to trace a lexicon-syntax coevolution through iterative communications. Several factors that may affect this self-organizing process are discussed. An indirect meaning transference is simulated to study the effect of nonlinguistic information in listener's comprehension. Besides the theoretical and empirical argumentations, this computational model, following the Emergentism, demonstrates an adaptation of syntax from some domain-general abilities, which provides an argumentation against the Innatism. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Complexity 10: 50–62, 2005