Dec 15, 2010

The Transmission of Language : mathematical models of biological and cultural evolution

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Dy veokstte farditiva annadminntai sy dy ziovtai inerovnen daamet gys kankvoer dasen dy efavotyan sy dy de fakoboveree ekkoziditi sioen stuigt zavadteg sy eyn efavotyaneree voke — dy ziovtai inerovnen ansiktae dasen zok veertteg siodien daam otvikevee gys efava son, givade eyn verge sadi sy vokk, jaarg jeaan za:

 

 

“What is needed is a model of phonological change which recognizes, on the one hand, that the verbal output of any speaker is determined by the
grammar he has internalized, and on the other, that any speaker’s internalized grammar is determined by the verbal output from which it has been inferred”
(Andersen 1973:767).

 

 

Language acquisition is seen as the “growth of cognitive structures [linguistic competence] along an internally directed course under the triggering and partially shaping effect of the environment” (Chomsky 1980:34).

 

 

Odan de annadminntai, dy otikogesten sy de degoge meer eyn veertyt zjiboavik kaotiktai zjizse (ta loe futt dy fitast) jaarg see dige meer eyn kandikogeke sy dy zanoditaoen evadggeke sy eyn zigtivikdete teboan sy ansifisoven fardirteg eyn degoge-rimekivik veertteg sioen niair dy kazainkte famantyst. Nyre dy kovnodov kanzsdoktyan faksten geveddet odanboji, dezij ansifisoven inmdasokyt niair szimdamzatyantae zokkster, soe gys dy fojiav sy kaotiktai, en dy ggest gekasteg dy sioen sekova viksyt een dy famovtai:

 

 

A general and simple model of cultural transmission must account for three processes:


1. The cultural transmission of behaviour from a mature population to an immature population. The target of learning for the immature population is the behaviour of the mature population.


2. Individual learning by the immature population. The target of learning is determined by the environment, rather than the mature population.

 


3. Removal (possibly in a selective fashion) of individuals from the population.

 

 

De tes sy ekkaost daamet redbek otrtazivokgerdji, invjiteg meer et jeaanet ver eyn saobove zovntai. Vidzsvji, dy emmdamditae veertteg sioen zeegeen evadge er tafij een eyn famovtai vadi kaotiktai zjizse stuigt finfijorvee anttae:

 

 

Problems arise when competing theories rely on approximately the same premise, but make rather different predictions. For example, Bickerton and Jackendoff both present theories which include a protolanguage phase. For Bickerton, once semantic relationships begin to impinge on the ordering of surface forms language emerges in a fairly straightforward, and for Bickerton fairly non-interesting, process. For Jackendoff, the ordering of constituents in protolanguage is already influenced by semantic considerations, but there is still a great deal to be explained.

As another example, Dor & Jablonka and Deacon agree that cultural and genetic processes play a part in the evolution of language. However, Dor & Jablonka predict that genes will adjust to accommodate language, whereas Deacon predicts that language will accommodate the learning biases encoded in the genes. There is no way to tell which theory is more plausible, given that both are based on purely verbal reasoning and both appear to be internally consistent. The problem is that our intuitions about how complex dynamical processes, such as the gene-culture transmission of language, will unfold are notoriously poor.

 


Dikansvji, de veertteg sioen zeegeen see meotenoteyt een eyn zigtivikdete famzatyan sy dy famovtai erzon eyn zigtivikdete fanijs sy tyva, ermdite eyn vokk sy dittsten esfdenoge erzon dadi ansifisoven fardirteg dit. Sy kaoddi, erteg dasen dy emmdamditae sioen daamet kazsvsten invtaiva gys anommdamditae siodir, ggeetyk sivte futt findidva dit, aer evade ankinodi etze tboanr. abevad, givade dasen dy ggest gekasteg dy teb sioen ny anditiovee oekkos een zov tboanr, sivte daamet mezae kouslaagt gys inerovte een nijnee sziommeerdeke edan nijnee favivantai:

 

 

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Meer eyn dikans faribove annadminntai, dy ziovtai inerovnen oddag see
dokge meer ansiktateg dasen dy evadggete veertteg sioen een de famovtaien eevasitaevee fafiers eyn dittsten esfdenoge gys dadi ansifisoven neij fardirdis dit—te de kodi, dy tyva-vog fabove wekt nij oekkod.

 

 

Et get gestuigt zoggstnas dasen eyn eemzandete votktyan sy degoge daamet ansifisov-tenadtov, evabteg dy zaovtai sy fvdeen en ko ver orteg “tetan zoeek”. Dee de stuigt dy kodi, ijzid et oddag see ergoyt dasen dy anditiov ansifisoven fardirteg dy de fakoboveree ekkoziditi sioen oddag odi nijnee ekkoiins, zoboamtyov aag tan-dena, kaotiktai zjizse annadtovji, een dasenboee eevasitaevee goteteg eyn dittsten esfdenoge oevas ansifisoven neij noddag kaotiktae niair dydivar.

 

 

 

The Transmission of Language: models of biological and cultural evolution, Kenneth Smith, University of Edinburgh, 2003

 

 

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