ELC
Financiado
The evolution of linguistic complexity
Human language is unique among the communication systems of the natural world, providing our species with an incredibly flexible and powerful open-ended system of communication. This expressive power is underpinned by linguistic s...
Human language is unique among the communication systems of the natural world, providing our species with an incredibly flexible and powerful open-ended system of communication. This expressive power is underpinned by linguistic structure: we construct complex meaning-bearing utterances according to a set of rules and regularities which are conventionalised among speakers of a language. In my previous work I have shown that these fundamental structural features of language can be explained as a consequence of cultural evolution: structure evolves gradually as language is passed down through generations via learning and shaped by its repeated use for communication, in a process known as iterated learning.
However, existing modelling and experimental treatments of iterated learning are limited in that they focus on the evolution of simple languages which permit expression of a relatively small and fixed set of concepts. Real human languages are enormously complex, both in the expressive power they afford and the rich and complex set of structural devices they provide for conveying meaning. In this project I seek to address this major outstanding question in evolutionary linguistics: why is language complex? I will tackle this daunting question by exploring two subsidiary questions: when and how does linguistic complexity facilitate acquisition, and how do expressive power and linguistic complexity evolve as a result of language transmission and use? Answering these questions will require an ambitious programme of modelling and experimental work, covering acquisition in individual adults and children, language use in interaction, and language evolution in populations. I seek to substantially advance our understanding of the cultural evolution of language by exploring how learning, expressive pressures on language use, and social complexity drive the evolution of linguistic complexity.
ver más
Duración del proyecto: 68 meses
Fecha Inicio: 2016-06-17
Fecha Fin: 2022-02-28
Fecha Fin: 2022-02-28
Línea de financiación: concedida
El organismo H2020 notifico la concesión del proyecto el día 2022-02-28
Línea de financiación objetivo
El proyecto se financió a través de la siguiente ayuda:
ERC-CoG-2015:
ERC Consolidator Grant
Cerrada
hace 9 años
Presupuesto
El presupuesto total del proyecto asciende a
2M€
Líder del proyecto
THE UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH
No se ha especificado una descripción o un objeto social para esta compañía.
Perfil tecnológico
TRL
4-5
Perfil tecnológico
TRL
4-5
632.74K€ |
Participante