Inter-individual variations and their impact on language evolution

  Contact person

Mathilde JOSSERAND

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Scientific framework and objectives

The main goal of my thesis is to study to which extent inter-individual variation can influence linguistic evolution and change, as well as the emergence of structure in languages. To do so, I will use different approaches:

• Agent-based modeling using an Iterated Learning approach with Bayesian agents, in structured networks with inter-individual variation;
• Experimental paradigms by studying the change, in real-time, of artificial languages in small groups of people whose interactions are structured as networks, and where I will implement inter-individual variation;
• A case study in order to study the effect of inter-individual variation in colour perception (and more specifically, in the blue-green range) on colour vocabulary.

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