{"pk":26413,"title":"Learning biases may prevent lexicalization of pragmatic inferences:a case study combining iterated (Bayesian) learning and functional selection","subtitle":null,"abstract":"Natural languages exhibit properties that are difficult to explainfrom a purely functional perspective. One of these properties isthe systematic lack of upper-bounds in the literal meaning ofscalar expressions. This investigation addresses the develop-ment and selection of such semantics from a space of possiblealternatives. To do so we put forward a model that integratesBayesian learning into the replicator-mutator dynamics com-monly used in evolutionary game theory. We argue this syn-thesis to provide a suitable and general model to analyze thedynamics involved in the use and transmission of language.Our results shed light on the semantics-pragmatics divide andshow how a learning bias in tandem with functional pressuremay prevent the lexicalization of pragmatic inferences.","language":"eng","license":{"name":"","short_name":"","text":null,"url":""},"keywords":[{"word":"semantics; pragmatics; iterated learning; evolu-tionary game theory; scalar expressions"}],"section":"Papers","is_remote":true,"remote_url":"https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8kf6d2wx","frozenauthors":[{"first_name":"Thomas","middle_name":"","last_name":"Brochhagen","name_suffix":"","institution":"University of Amsterdam","department":""},{"first_name":"Michael","middle_name":"","last_name":"Franke","name_suffix":"","institution":"University of T ̈ubingen","department":""},{"first_name":"Robert","middle_name":"van","last_name":"Rooij","name_suffix":"","institution":"University of Amsterdam","department":""}],"date_submitted":null,"date_accepted":null,"date_published":"2016-01-01T18:00:00Z","render_galley":null,"galleys":[{"label":"PDF","type":"pdf","path":"https://journalpub.escholarship.org/cognitivesciencesociety/article/26413/galley/16049/download/"}]}