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Systematicity is Triggered by Semantic Proximity not Density

Systematicity is Triggered by Semantic Proximity not Density. T. Mark Ellison, Nicolas Fay Psychology, University of Western Australia. Language Origins. la Société n'admet aucune communication concernant , soit l'origine du langage … Société de linguistique de Paris (1866).

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Systematicity is Triggered by Semantic Proximity not Density

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  1. Systematicity is Triggered by Semantic Proximity not Density T. Mark Ellison, Nicolas Fay Psychology, University of Western Australia

  2. Language Origins la Sociétén'admetaucune communication concernant, soitl'origine du langage … Société de linguistique de Paris (1866) Ellison & Fay

  3. What’s Different Ellison & Fay

  4. Language Origins Animal Communication Modern Language Path through Intermediary Stages Ellison & Fay

  5. Language Origins Animal Communication Modern Language Protolanguage ? Ellison & Fay

  6. HolismvsSystematicity 3 atomic calls Take cover! Eagle! Find a tree! Leopard! Look down! Python! Let’s chase it away! Ellison & Fay

  7. HolismvsSystematicity 1 word = sentence arbitrary signs • /mεbita/ give her the food • /ikatubε/give me the food Ellison & Fay

  8. Holism vsSystematicity Ellison & Fay

  9. Holism vsSystematicity Similar expressions with similar meanings: • Kim baked a pie. • Kim baked a lasagne. • Kim baked a bean lasagne. • Kim baked in the sun. • Jean baked a lasagne. Ellison & Fay

  10. Holism vsSystematicity Ellison & Fay

  11. Holism vsSystematicity Phonaesthemes: Systematicity: • similar meanings • similar forms • shared parts Ellison & Fay

  12. Interpolation Ellison & Fay

  13. Language Evolution Holistic protolanguage e.g. Wray (1998) Ellison & Fay

  14. Large Holistic Communication System • /ikalεsi/ give him the food • /mεbita/ give her the food • /ikatubε/ give me the food • /boraka/ give them the food • /lasarat/ give us the food Ellison & Fay

  15. Protolanguage Hypothesis I: spontaneous representational systems will be holistic Test using Experimental Semiotics psychological experiments manipulating the creation/use of representational systems Ellison & Fay

  16. The Pictionary Task • Theatre • Art Gallery • Museum • Parliament • Robert De Niro • Arnold Schwarzenegger • Clint Eastwood • Drama • Soap Opera • Homesick • Cartoon • Television • Computer Monitor • Microwave • Loud • Poverty Director Matcher Ellison & Fay

  17. Pictionary Task – Garrod (2007) Ellison & Fay

  18. Measuring Systematicity • measure of (dis)similarity of representations • computationally hard for free-hand drawing • SO: vector graphics – ellipses, rectangles, triangles and lines • use edit distance to measure dissimilarity Ellison & Fay

  19. The SVG Pictionary Task Ellison & Fay

  20. What’s Different Ellison & Fay

  21. Protolanguage Hypothesis I: spontaneous representational systems will be holistic Ellison & Fay

  22. Protolanguage Hypothesis I: signs in semantic clusters will be no more similar than signs for unrelated meanings (i.e. lacking in systematicity) Ellison & Fay

  23. The Stimuli Concepts: 6 groups of 3 clustered concepts each Beer Gold Wine Silver Wood Bronze Whisky Tree Forest Jacket Trousers Fire Shirt Blaze Boulder Volcano Stone Rock Ellison & Fay

  24. Measuring Dissimilarity Between Distance: Average dissimilarity Wood Gold Tree Silver Forest Bronze Ellison & Fay

  25. Measuring Dissimilarity Within Cluster Distance: Average dissimilarity Wood Gold Tree Silver Forest Bronze Ellison & Fay

  26. Crowding Triggers Systematicity Dissimilarity Within Between Ellison & Fay

  27. Crowding Triggers Systematicity Ellison & Fay

  28. What drives Systematicity? proximity • that there is at least one other in the neighbourhood density? • how many meanings are in a neighbourhood Ellison & Fay

  29. Density vsProximity Proximal and Dense Beer Gold Wine Silver Wood Bronze Whisky Tree wine Jacket Fire Shirt Blaze Proximal but Sparse Ellison & Fay

  30. No Effect of Density Dissimilarity Within Between Sparse Dense Sparse Dense Ellison & Fay

  31. Conclusion • Crowding leads immediately to systematicity • but density is unimportant • Proximity of meanings leads to systematicity SO: a large holistic lexicon seems unlikely Ellison & Fay

  32. Comlab.me this research was supported in part by an ARC Discovery grant (DP120104237) awarded to NF Ellison & Fay

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