Work

Assertion, denial, and the evolution of Boolean operators

Year: 2022

Type: article

Abstract: Given current data, only a few binary Boolean operators are expressed in lexically simple fashion in the world's languages: and, or, nor. These do not occur in every combination, for example, nor is not observed by itself. To explain these cross‐linguistic patterns, we propose an encoding of Boolean operators as update procedures to accept or reject information in a context. We define a measure of conceptual simplicity for such updates, on which attested operators are conceptually simpler than the remaining Booleans. Moreover, we show that language evolution selects for the attested lexical inventories by minimizing the complexity of using a lexical inventory compositionally to convey precise information.

Source: Mind & Language

DOI: 10.1111/mila.12448

Authors: Fausto Carcassi, Giorgio Sbardolini

Institutions: University of Tübingen, University of Amsterdam

Language: English

Topic: Syntax, Semantics, Linguistic Variation

Subfield: Language and Linguistics

Field: Arts and Humanities

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,650

Funder: Horizon 2020 Framework Programme