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Summary
The term "language evolution" is used in two different ways in the literature:
- the biological evolution of the human language faculty
- the cultural evolution of human languages
The course will be concerned with the second notion. Natural languages
can be considered
as evolving entities, similar to species in biology. Accordingly,
language change can be
conceptualized as an evolutionary process. Linguistic universals are
features of
languages that are invariant in evolutionarily stable states.
We will study formal models of language evolution in
this sense. Evolutionary Game
Theory (EGT) -- a mathematical framework that emerged from
collaboration between
biologists and economists -- has proven a useful metatheory for this
kind of endeavor. The
first half of the course will consist of a crash course of EGT. The
second part of the
course deals with various linguistic applications, ranging from
phonology via morphology
and syntax to semantics.
Credits
To take the course for credit, it is required to attend
classes regularly and to turn in this take-home exam. Please send the solution to the question to me via email (at Gerhard dot Jaeger at uni-bielefeld.de) until March 11.
Slides
Reading
- Benz, A., G. Jäger and R. van Rooij (2005), An
introduction to game
theory for linguists, in A. Benz, G. Jäger
and R. van Rooij
(eds.), Game Theory and
Pragmatics, Palgrave McMillan. [password required for
download]
- Jäger,
G. (2004), Evolutionary
Game Theory for linguists. A primer, manuscript, Stanford
University and University of Potsdam
- Jäger, G. (in press), Evolutionary
Game Theory and Typology. A Case Study, to appear in Language
- Jäger, G. (2006), Convex
meanings and evolutionary stability, in Angelo Cangelosi,
Andrew D. M. Smith and Kenny Smith (eds.), The
Evolution of Language. Proceedings of the 6th
International
Conference (EVOLANG6), Rome, pp 139-144.
- Jäger, G. and R. van Rooij (in press), Language
Stucture: Psychological and Social
Constraints, to appear in Synthese
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