title: Language evolution as a Darwinian process: computational studies.
abstract: This paper presents computational experiments that illustrate how one can precisely conceptualize language evolution as a Darwinian process. We show that there is potentially a wide diversity of replicating units and replication mechanisms involved in language evolution. Computational experiments allow us to study systemic properties coming out of populations of linguistic replicators: linguistic replicators can adapt to specific external environments; they evolve under the pressure of the cognitive constraints of their hosts, as well as under the functional pressure of communication for which they are used; one can observe neutral drift; coalitions of replicators may appear, forming higher level groups which can themselves become subject to competition and selection.
authors.affiliation: Sony Computer Science Laboratory Paris, Paris, France. py@csl.sony.fr
authors.forename: Pierre-Yves
authors.initials: PY
authors.lastname: Oudeyer
authors.forename: Frédéric
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kaplan
mesh_terms: D005075:Biological Evolution; D019295:Computational Biology / Q000379:methods*; D003198:Computer Simulation; D006801:Humans; D008037:Linguistics / Q000379:methods*; D008954:Models, Biological; D011582:Psychological Theory; D013598:Systems Theory