the human linguistic system engenders creativity through
TRANSCRIPT
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The Human Linguistic System EngendersCreativity Through Recursive Operations
Shigeru MiyagawaMIT
October 22, 2008Kyoto University
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Animal World
Vervet monkeys of Kenya
(Seyfarth, Cheney, Marler 1980 Science)
Alarms (courtesy of Marc Hauser)
eagle snake leopard
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Honeybees
Honeybees communicate angle and distance of flowersby a dance.
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Connecting the symbol and its meaning
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Language Links Sound and Meaning
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A defining characteristic of human language
Potentially infinite
Galileo, Descartes, von Humboldt, etc.
(Hauser, Chomsky, Fitch, Science 2002)
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Limitless I: length of expressions
John thinks that Mary believes that her son said that Bobthought that the professor will handout the physicshomework
tomorrow
ϖ There is no “longest” sentence.
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Limitless II: combinations
that, boy, will, show, a, film
1. That boy will show a film.2. A boy will show that film.3. Will that boy show a film?
4. Will a boy show that film?5. That boy will film a show.6. A boy will film that show.7. Will that boy film a show?8. Will a boy film that show?
9. Show a film, that boy will.10. Film a show, that boy will.
ϖ A high school graduate
knows up to 60,000 words
ϖ Virtually limitless
combinatorial possibilities
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What is behind language’s infinity?
Infinite use of finite means(Wilhelm von Humboldt)
the two big blue cars blue cars
big [blue cars] two [big blue cars]
the [two big blue cars]
ϖ Recursion
A + B ◊ A B
the two big blue cars
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The source of creativity
ϖ Human language generates binary hierarchicalstructures by combining words and phrases.
ϖ The structure that can be generated is potentiallyinfinite because this operation is recursive (discreteinfinity).
ϖ This lead to creativity – limitless potential.
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Movement operations reveal structure
(1) John bought a book.
(2) What did John buy___?
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More movement operations
B
A(3) Every student certainly will read this book.
(5) Read this book, every student certainly will. (B)
(4) This book, every student certainly will read. (A)
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What is human language?
ϖ Communication?
ϖ Animals, bees
ϖ How is language used mostly?
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Domains
(6) John thinks that Mary believes that the professorwill handout the physics homework...
John thinks
{that Mary believes}
{that the professor will hand out...}
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What is the nature of these domains?
Smallest unit of “complete thought”
(7) { John thinks { that Mary praised the students } }
Reflexive pronoun: must find its antecedent in its Domain.
(8) John thinks { that Mary praised herself }
(9) John thinks { that Mary praised himself }
Pronoun: must NOT find its antecedent in its Domain.
(10) John thinks { that Mary praised him }
(11) John thinks { that Mary praised her }
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Movements and Domains
(12) What did {he say {that he wanted __} }?
West Ulster English
(13)a. What all did he say (that) he wanted__?
b. What did he say (that) he wanted__ all?
c. What did he say all (that) he wanted __?
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Domains sometimes block operations
(13) You bought a book.
(14) What did you buy ___?
(15) John left for that reason.
(16) Why did John leave ___?
(17) What do you wonder {whether to fix ___}?
(18) Why do you wonder whether to fix the car?
(19) Certain domains do not allow extraction of why
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Some languages don’t move the wh-phrase
(20) a. Hanako-ga piza-o tabeta.
Hanako-NOM pizza-ACC ate ‘Taro ate pizza.’
b. Hanako-ga nani-o tabeta no?
Hanako-NOM what-ACC ate Q ‘What did Hanako eat?’
(21) Hanako-ga {anata-ga nani-o syuurisitai ka} siritai no?
Hanako-NOM {you-NOM what-ACC fix-do-want Q} want.to.know Q
(i) ‘Does Hanako want to know what you want to fix?’
(ii) ‘What does Hanako want to know whether you want to fix?’
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Restriction on why
(18) Why do you wonder whether to fix the car?
(19) Certain domains do not allow extraction of why
(22)
Anata-ga {Hanako-ga naze Amerika-ni iku ka} siritai no?
you-NOM {Hanako-NOM why America-to go Q} want.to.know Q
(i) ‘Do you want to know why Hanako will go to America?’
(ii) *‘Why do you want to know Hanako will go to America __?’
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Diagnosis for movement
(23) a. John read a book.
b. *A book read John.
(24) a. Gakusei-ga hon-o yonda.
student-NOM book-ACC read ‘The student read a book.’
b. Hon-o gakusei-ga yonda.
book-ACC student-NOM read
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Quantifier float
West Ulster English
(13)a. What all did he say (that) he wanted__?
b. What did he say (that) he wanted__ all?
c. What did he say all (that) he wanted __?
(25)a. Gakusei-ga san-nin hon-o yonda.
student-NOM 3-Classifier book-ACC read
‘Three students read a book.’
b.*Gakusei-ga hon-o san-nin yonda.
student-NOM book-ACC 3-Classifier read
‘Three students read a book.’
(26) Hon-o gakusei-ga san-satu yonda.
book-ACC student-NOM 3-Classifier read
‘A student read three books.