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Quantifiers in Natural Language: Efficient Communication and Degrees of Semantic Universals
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In: Entropy ; Volume 23 ; Issue 10 (2021)
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Abstract:
While the languages of the world vary greatly, they exhibit systematic patterns, as well. Semantic universals are restrictions on the variation in meaning exhibit cross-linguistically (e.g., that, in all languages, expressions of a certain type can only denote meanings with a certain special property). This paper pursues an efficient communication analysis to explain the presence of semantic universals in a domain of function words: quantifiers. Two experiments measure how well languages do in optimally trading off between competing pressures of simplicity and informativeness. First, we show that artificial languages which more closely resemble natural languages are more optimal. Then, we introduce information-theoretic measures of degrees of semantic universals and show that these are not correlated with optimality in a random sample of artificial languages. These results suggest both that efficient communication shapes semantic typology in both content and function word domains, as well as that semantic universals may not stand in need of independent explanation.
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Keyword:
conservativity; efficient communication; informativeness; monotonicity; quantifiers; semantic typology; semantic universals; simplicity
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URL: https://doi.org/10.3390/e23101335
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SEMANTIC RELATION OF MERONYMY IN LANGUAGES OF DIFFERENT STRUCTURE (CASE STUDY OF SEMANTICS OF BODY PART NAMES)
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In: Advanced Education; 2019: Issue 12; 256-264 ; Передовое образование; 2019: ; 256-264 ; Новітня освіта; 2019: ; 2410-8286 ; 2409-3351 (2019)
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| 4 |
The role of functions in syntax : a unified approach to language theory, description, and typology
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BLLDB
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Institut für Empirische Sprachwissenschaft
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UB Frankfurt Linguistik
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| 5 |
On the universal structure of human lexical semantics.
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In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, vol 113, iss 7 (2016)
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| 6 |
On the universal structure of human lexical semantics
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In: Youn, H; Sutton, L; Smith, E; Moore, C; Wilkins, JF; Maddieson, I; et al.(2016). On the universal structure of human lexical semantics. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 113(7), 1766 - 1771. doi:10.1073/pnas.1520752113. UC Berkeley: Retrieved from: http://www.escholarship.org/uc/item/7v06n8bz (2016)
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| 7 |
Universals and variation in language and thought: Concepts, communication, and semantic structure
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In: Carstensen, Alexandra. (2016). Universals and variation in language and thought: Concepts, communication, and semantic structure. UC Berkeley: Psychology. Retrieved from: http://www.escholarship.org/uc/item/1h04c13q (2016)
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| 8 |
Historical Semantic Chaining and Efficient Communication: The Case of Container Names.
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In: Cognitive science, vol 40, iss 8 (2016)
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| 10 |
Understanding others requires shared concepts
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In: Pragmatics and Cognition (2015)
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| 11 |
В ПОИСКАХ СЕМАНТИЧЕСКИХ УНИВЕРСАЛИЙ
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БАРЛЯЕВА ЕЛЕНА АЛЕКСАНДРОВНА. - : Автономное образовательное учреждение высшего профессионального образования «Ленинградский государственный университет имени А.С. Пушкина», 2015
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