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Conceptual similarity and communicative need shape colexification: an experimental study ...
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Abstract:
Colexification refers to the phenomenon of multiple meanings sharing one word in a language. Cross-linguistic lexification patterns have been shown to be largely predictable, as similar concepts are often colexified. We test a recent claim that, beyond this general tendency, communicative needs play an important role in shaping colexification patterns. We approach this question by means of a series of human experiments, using an artificial language communication game paradigm. Our results across four experiments match the previous cross-linguistic findings: all other things being equal, speakers do prefer to colexify similar concepts. However, we also find evidence supporting the communicative need hypothesis: when faced with a frequent need to distinguish similar pairs of meanings, speakers adjust their colexification preferences to maintain communicative efficiency, and avoid colexifying those similar meanings which need to be distinguished in communication. This research provides further evidence to ...
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Keyword:
Computation and Language cs.CL; FOS Computer and information sciences
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URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/2103.11024 https://dx.doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2103.11024
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Communicative need modulates competition in language change ...
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Challenges in detecting evolutionary forces in language change using diachronic corpora
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In: Glossa: a journal of general linguistics; Vol 5, No 1 (2020); 45 ; 2397-1835 (2020)
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Challenges in detecting evolutionary forces in language change using diachronic corpora ...
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Cross-situational learning of large lexicons with finite memory ...
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Quantifying the dynamics of topical fluctuations in language ...
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Topical advection as a baseline model for corpus-based lexical dynamics ...
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Topical advection as a baseline model for corpus-based lexical dynamics
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In: Proceedings of the Society for Computation in Linguistics (2018)
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Stochastic dynamics of lexicon learning in an uncertain and nonuniform world ...
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