Origins of Vowel Systems

This book addresses tendencies of human vowel systems from the point of view of self-organization. It uses computer models to show that tendencies of human languages can be reproduced by artificial agents. DeBoer then explores the implications of those results for the evolution of language.

List of contents

• 1: Introduction


• 2: Universal Tendencies of Human Sound Systems


• 3: Self-Organization


• 4: The Simulation


• 5: Results


• 6: Simulated Evolution of Other Parts of Language


• 7: Implications for Other Parts of Language


• References

About the author

Bart de Boer is a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Center for Mind, Brain, and Learning at the University of Washington. After completing his Ph.D. in Computer Science at Vrije Universiteit in Brussels, he spent four months carrying out fieldwork on the Bahing language of East Nepal before returning to Vrije as a Postdoctoral Assistant. He took up his current post in December 2000.

Summary

Addresses universal tendencies of human vowel systems from the point of view of self-organization. This work uses computer simulations to show that the same universal tendencies found in human languages can be reproduced in a population of artificial agents. It also explores the implications of these results for the evolution of language.

Product details

• Authors: Bart de Boer, B. De Boer, Bart De Boer
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 23.08.2001
• EAN: 9780198299660
• ISBN: 978-0-19-829966-0
• No. of pages: 184
• Series: Studies in the Evolution of Language; Studies in the Evolution of La; Studies in the Evolution of Language
• Subject: Humanities, art, music > Linguistics and literary studies > General and comparative linguistics