While it has long been understood that the human mind evolved to learn language, recent studies have begun to ask the inverted question: How has language evolved under the cognitive constraints of its users and become more learnable over time? In this paper, we explored how the semantic change of English words is shaped by the way humans acquire and process language. In Study 1, we quantified the extent of semantic change over the past 200 years and found that meaning change is more likely for words that are acquired later in life and are more difficult to process. We argue that it is human cognition that constrains the semantic evolution of words, rather than the other way around, because historical meanings of words were not easily accessible to people living today, and therefore could not have directly influenced how they learn and process language. In Study 2, we went further to show that semantic change, while bringing the benefit of meeting communicative needs, is cognitively costly for those who were born early enough to experience the change: Semantic change between 1970 and 2000 hindered processing speeds among middle-aged adults (ages 45–55) but not in younger adults (ages <25)>
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Dialects deal with the issue out-of expressing an infinite selection of details playing with a finite gang of terminology (Chomsky, 1957). When you are the easiest way to satisfy this complications would be to carry out the newest conditions to generally share book definitions, a far more well-known strategy is to designate brand new significance so you’re able to current conditions (Ramiro mais aussi al., 2018). Earlier literary works has shown your definitions from conditions change in predictable ways (Ullmann, 1962) and differing accounts of these regularities within the semantic alter were suggested, like grammaticalization, subjectification, erosion, and you can metaphorization (Lakoff, 2008; Tr). Additionally, you will find situation knowledge one reported just how if in case individual words altered the definition (elizabeth.grams., Lehrer, 1985). For instance, the original concept of the term aired in the farming were to shed otherwise sow seed widely, but with the new introduction of correspondence technology (like the broadcast), shown (since the very early 20th millennium) is the spreading otherwise shipping out of a contact.
What activities earn some conditions change its significance so you can an elevated the amount than the others? Our very own approach to which question observe an excellent Darwinian see one considers vocabulary since the an elaborate transformative program one to evolves in possibilities stress of individual cognitive limitations more years of vocabulary users (Beckner et al., 2009; Christiansen & Chater, 2008; Darwin, 1871). One to crucial cognitive constraint that will provides molded vocabulary development is actually general learning and you can processing biases based on intellectual limits. One of many benefits of eg a look at vocabulary evolution is that other than describing just how individual language is offered, in addition provides a theoretic basis to explore hypotheses from how individual dialects transform immediately after its introduction, which is the scope of the most recent research.
Research giving support to the family relations ranging from just how words try obtained and you will processed as well as how code progressed has been racking up, related to laboratory-established experiments of artificial languages (Kirby mais aussi al., 2008), computational simulations (Kirby, 2001; Monaghan mais aussi al., 2011; Steels, 2011), plus has just, studies of pure code corpora (Hills & Adelman, 2015; Monaghan, 2014). Additionally, it’s value mentioning you to definitely cognitive limits do not have becoming very strong to contour code progression. Also weakened personal-level biases from inside the words practices is going to be scaled doing population-level linguistic phenomena via social alert (age.grams., Scott-Phillips & Kirby, 2010) otherwise personal framework (elizabeth.g., Linguistic market theory; Lupyan & Dale, 2010).
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Although not, up to now, most studies demonstrating the latest relation out-of words evolution so you’re able to vocabulary buy and you can o meu Гєltimo post no blogue control have concerned about development of your lexical form (e.grams., Monaghan, 2014; Pagel ainsi que al., 2007). Quicker proof is available for how the fresh new development off semantics, or the meanings out of terms and conditions, resembles code order and you can running. The good news is, the available choices of higher-level diachronic code corpora, as well as computational products for quantifying diachronic improvement in word embeddings throughout the years (elizabeth.g., Dubossarsky mais aussi al., 2016; Hamilton mais aussi al., 2016; Li ainsi que al., 2019) keeps let me to target that pit throughout the books.
