Systematicity is Triggered by Semantic Proximity not Density

T. Mark Ellison, Nicolas FayPsychology, University of Western Australia

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Language Origins

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la Société n'admet aucune communication concernant, soit l'origine du langage …Société de linguistique de Paris (1866)

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What’s Different

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1866 NowModern Languages More (about) Modern LanguagesAncient Languages More (about) Ancient LanguagesSpeculation Animal Communication

NeuropsycholinguisticsArcheology / PaleontologyExperimental Semiotics

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Language Origins

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Modern LanguageAnimal Communication

Path through Intermediary Stages

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Language Origins

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Modern LanguageAnimal Communication ?Protolanguage

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Holism vs Systematicity

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3 atomic calls

Take cover! Eagle!Find a tree! Leopard!Look down! Python! Let’s chase it away!

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Holism vs Systematicity

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1 word = sentencearbitrary signs

- /mεbita/ give her the food

- /ikatubε/ give me the food

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Holism vs Systematicity

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Holism vs Systematicity

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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.

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Holism vs Systematicity

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Polish Translationpiec to cookpiec a stovepieczywo baked foods / breadpiekłem I (masc) bakedpiekłyście you (pl femm) bakedpiekło hell

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Holism vs Systematicity

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Phonaesthemes:

Systematicity:• similar meanings• similar forms• shared parts

snore gleamsnuff glistensniff glowsnot glittersnout glazesneer glasssneeze

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Interpolation

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Type Lexicon StructureAnimal Comms Tiny HolismProtolanguage ? ?Human Language Large Systematicity

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Language Evolution

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Type Lexicon StructurePrimate Tiny HolisticProtolanguage Large HolisticLanguage Large Systematic

Holistic protolanguage e.g. Wray (1998)

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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

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Protolanguage

Hypothesis I:spontaneous representational systems will be

holisticTest using Experimental Semiotics

psychological experiments manipulating the creation/use of representational systems

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The Pictionary Task

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Directo

r

Matcher

• Theatre• Art Gallery• Museum• Parliament• Robert De Niro• Arnold Schwarzenegger• Clint Eastwood• Drama• Soap Opera• Homesick• Cartoon• Television• Computer Monitor• Microwave• Loud• Poverty

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Pictionary Task – Garrod (2007)

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Pictionary TaskFreehand6 games16 concepts

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Measuring Systematicity

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• 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

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The SVG Pictionary Task

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What’s Different

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Pictionary Task Vector Graphics Pictionary TaskFreehand Vector graphics6 games 2 rounds * 4 games per round16 concepts 18 concepts

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Protolanguage

Hypothesis I:spontaneous representational systems will be

holistic

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Protolanguage

Hypothesis I:signs in semantic clusters will be no more similar

than signs for unrelated meanings(i.e. lacking in systematicity)

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The Stimuli

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Concepts: 6 groups of 3 clustered concepts each

WoodTree

Boulder

Forest

StoneRock

GoldBronze Silver

FireBlaze Volcano

WineBeer

Whisky

JacketTrousers

Shirt

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Measuring Dissimilarity

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Between Distance: Average dissimilarity

Wood

Tree

Forest

Gold

Bronze

Silver

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Measuring Dissimilarity

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Within Cluster Distance: Average dissimilarity

Wood

Tree

Forest

Gold

Bronze

Silver

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Crowding Triggers Systematicity

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Within Between

Dissimilarity

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Crowding Triggers Systematicity

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proximity– that there is at least one other in

the neighbourhooddensity?– how many meanings are in a

neighbourhood

What drives Systematicity?

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Density vs Proximity

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wineWood

Tree

GoldBronze Silver

FireBlaze

WineBeer

Whisky

JacketShirt

Proximal and Dense

Proximal but Sparse

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No Effect of Density

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Within BetweenSparse Dense DenseSparse

Dissimilarity

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Conclusion

• Crowding leads immediately to systematicity– but density is unimportant

• Proximity of meanings leads to systematicity

SO: a large holistic lexicon seems unlikely

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Comlab.me

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this research was supported in part by an ARC Discovery grant (DP120104237) awarded to NF