Linked Life Data

10761917

Source:http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/id/10761917

Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
6777
pubmed:dateCreated
2000-4-21
pubmed:abstractText
Animal communication is typically non-syntactic, which means that signals refer to whole situations. Human language is syntactic, and signals consist of discrete components that have their own meanings. Syntax is a prerequisite for taking advantage of combinatorics, that is, "making infinite use of finite means. The vast expressive power of human language would be impossible without syntax, and the transition from non-syntactic to syntactic communication was an essential step in the evolution of human language. We aim to understand the evolutionary dynamics of this transition and to analyse how natural selection can guide it. Here we present a model for the population dynamics of language evolution, define the basic reproductive ratio of words and calculate the maximum size of a lexicon. Syntax allows larger repertoires and the possibility to formulate messages that have not been learned beforehand. Nevertheless, according to our model natural selection can only favour the emergence of syntax if the number of required signals exceeds a threshold value. This result might explain why only humans evolved syntactic communication and hence complex language.
pubmed:commentsCorrections
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Mar
pubmed:issn
0028-0836
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:day
30
pubmed:volume
404
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
495-8
pubmed:dateRevised
2010-11-18
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
2000
pubmed:articleTitle
The evolution of syntactic communication.
pubmed:affiliation
Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, New Jersey 08540, USA. nowak@ias.edu
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S., Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't