An experimental study of social selection and frequency of interaction in linguistic diversity
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Gareth Roberts
Abstract
Computational simulations have provided evidence that the use of linguistic cues as group markers plays an important role in the development of linguistic diversity. Other simulations, however, have contradicted these findings. Similar disagreements exist in sociolinguistics. This paper describes an experimental study in which participants played an anonymous economic game using an instant-messenger-style program and an artificial ‘alien language’. The competitiveness of the game and the frequency with which players interacted were manipulated. Given frequent enough interaction with team-mates, players were able to use linguistic cues to identify themselves. In the most competitive condition, this led to divergence in the language, which did not occur in other conditions. This suggests that both frequency of interaction and a pressure to use language to mark identity play a significant role in encouraging linguistic divergence over short periods, but that neither is sufficient on its own.
Abstract
Computational simulations have provided evidence that the use of linguistic cues as group markers plays an important role in the development of linguistic diversity. Other simulations, however, have contradicted these findings. Similar disagreements exist in sociolinguistics. This paper describes an experimental study in which participants played an anonymous economic game using an instant-messenger-style program and an artificial ‘alien language’. The competitiveness of the game and the frequency with which players interacted were manipulated. Given frequent enough interaction with team-mates, players were able to use linguistic cues to identify themselves. In the most competitive condition, this led to divergence in the language, which did not occur in other conditions. This suggests that both frequency of interaction and a pressure to use language to mark identity play a significant role in encouraging linguistic divergence over short periods, but that neither is sufficient on its own.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Experimental semiotics 1
- Systematicity and arbitrariness in novel communication systems 15
- Can iterated learning explain the emergence of graphical symbols? 33
- Exploring the cognitive infrastructure of communication 51
- The evolution of communication 79
- The effects of rapidity of fading on communication systems 101
- Investigating how cultural transmission leads to the appearance of design without a designer in human communication systems 113
- An experimental study of social selection and frequency of interaction in linguistic diversity 139
- Index 161
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Experimental semiotics 1
- Systematicity and arbitrariness in novel communication systems 15
- Can iterated learning explain the emergence of graphical symbols? 33
- Exploring the cognitive infrastructure of communication 51
- The evolution of communication 79
- The effects of rapidity of fading on communication systems 101
- Investigating how cultural transmission leads to the appearance of design without a designer in human communication systems 113
- An experimental study of social selection and frequency of interaction in linguistic diversity 139
- Index 161
