Structural Complexity in Linguistic Systems Research Topic 3: Mathematical Sciences

Abstract : We adapted computational mechanics to determine the role of structural complexity in linguistic systems, including language systems that adapt and evolve. The latter pose substantial challenges to any conventional communication-channel view of language. Our approach promised to overcome these difficulties, since it gives a clear and constructive view of structure in memoryful stochastic processes. In principle, this allows on to track how intrinsic structure evolves over time and to explore the tendency of language systems to develop in ways that balance structure (expressed in vocabulary and syntax) and entropy (the need to convey novelty and express meaning unpredicted by the receiver).