{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,8]],"date-time":"2026-06-08T21:42:18Z","timestamp":1780954938597,"version":"3.54.1"},"reference-count":70,"publisher":"World Scientific Pub Co Pte Ltd","issue":"03n04","content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Advs. Complex Syst."],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2012,5]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>This paper reviews how the structure of form and meaning spaces influences the nature and the dynamics of the form-meaning mappings in language. In general, in a structured form or meaning space, not all forms and meanings are equivalent: some forms and some meanings are more easily confused with each other than with other forms or meanings. We first give a formalization of this idea, and explore how it influences robust form-meaning mappings. It is shown that some fundamental properties of human language, such as discreteness and combinatorial structure as well as universals of sound systems of human languages follow from optimal communication in structured form and meaning spaces. We also argue that some properties of human language follow less from these fundamental issues, and more from cognitive constraints.<\/jats:p><jats:p>We then show that it is possible to experimentally investigate the relative contribution of functional constraints and of cognitive constraints. We illustrate this with an example of one of our own experiments, in which experimental participants have to learn a set of complex form-meaning mappings that have been produced by a previous generation of participants. Theoretically predicted properties appear in the sets of signals that emerge in this iterated learning experiment.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1142\/s0219525911500214","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2012,3,13]],"date-time":"2012-03-13T07:44:54Z","timestamp":1331624694000},"page":"1150021","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":10,"title":["LANGUAGE DYNAMICS IN STRUCTURED FORM AND MEANING SPACES"],"prefix":"10.1142","volume":"15","author":[{"given":"BART","family":"DE BOER","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Amsterdam Center for Language and Communication, University of Amsterdam, Spuistraat 210 Amsterdam, 1012 VT, Netherlands"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"TESSA","family":"VERHOEF","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Amsterdam Center for Language and Communication, University of Amsterdam, Spuistraat 210 Amsterdam, 1012 VT, Netherlands"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"219","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2012,5,24]]},"reference":[{"key":"rf1","volume-title":"The Atoms of Language","author":"Baker M. C.","year":"2002"},{"key":"rf2","first-page":"P06014","author":"Baronchelli A.","journal-title":"Journal of Statistical Mechanics: Theory and Experiment"},{"key":"rf3","volume-title":"Basic Color Terms: Their Universality and Evolution","author":"Berlin B.","year":"1969"},{"key":"rf4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1121\/1.385824"},{"key":"rf5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"H.\u00a0Brighton, S.\u00a0Kirby and K.\u00a0Smith, Language Origins: Perspectives on Evolution, ed. M.\u00a0Tallermann (Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2005)\u00a0pp. 291\u2013333.","DOI":"10.1093\/oso\/9780199279036.003.0017"},{"key":"rf6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"489","DOI":"10.1017\/S0140525X08004998","volume":"31","author":"Christiansen M. H.","journal-title":"Behav. Brain Sci."},{"key":"rf7","volume-title":"Sphere Packings, Lattices and Groups","author":"Conway J. H.","year":"1998"},{"key":"rf8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1121\/1.1906940"},{"key":"rf9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1121\/1.1810292"},{"key":"rf10","first-page":"27","volume":"13","author":"de Boer B.","journal-title":"AI Commun."},{"key":"rf11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1006\/jpho.2000.0125"},{"key":"rf12","series-title":"Studies in the Evolution of Language","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1093\/oso\/9780198299653.001.0001","volume-title":"The Origins of Vowel Systems","author":"de Boer B.","year":"2001"},{"key":"rf13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/1059712309345789"},{"key":"rf14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1142\/9789814295222_0064"},{"key":"rf15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1017\/S0140525X0999094X"},{"key":"rf16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1098\/rstb.2008.0130"},{"key":"rf17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1207\/s15516709cog0000_34"},{"key":"rf18","first-page":"1","volume":"5","author":"Galantucci B.","journal-title":"Front. Hum. Neurosci."},{"key":"rf19","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1075\/is.11.1.03gal"},{"key":"rf20","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1075\/is.11.1.04gar"},{"key":"rf21","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/15326900701326576"},{"key":"rf22","volume-title":"Categorical Perception: The Groundwork of Cognition","author":"Harnad S.","year":"1987"},{"key":"rf23","series-title":"Santa Fe Institute Studies in the Sciences of Complexity","volume-title":"Introduction to the Theory of Neural Computation","author":"Hertz J. A.","year":"1991"},{"key":"rf24","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3758\/APP.72.5.1218"},{"key":"rf25","volume-title":"Spoken Language Processing","author":"Huang X.","year":"2001"},{"key":"rf26","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cogpsych.2009.01.001"},{"key":"rf27","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/0024-3841(89)90015-6"},{"key":"rf29","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1162\/089120103321337412"},{"key":"rf30","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1093\/oso\/9780198238119.001.0001","volume-title":"Function, Selection and Innateness: The Emergence of Language Universals","author":"Kirby S.","year":"1999"},{"key":"rf31","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1162\/106454602320184248"},{"key":"rf32","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.0707835105"},{"key":"rf33","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.0608222104"},{"key":"rf34","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/978-1-4471-0663-0_6"},{"key":"rf35","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/BF00337288"},{"key":"rf36","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/nrn1533"},{"key":"rf37","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jtbi.2005.02.009"},{"key":"rf38","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2307\/411991"},{"key":"rf39","unstructured":"B.\u00a0Lindblom, P. F.\u00a0MacNeilage and M.\u00a0Studdert-Kennedy, Explanations for Language Universals, eds. M.\u00a0Butterworth, B.\u00a0Comrie and \u00d6.\u00a0Dahl (Walter de Gruyter, Berlin, 1984)\u00a0pp. 181\u2013203."},{"key":"rf41","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.0403595101"},{"key":"rf42","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.5040\/9781350934078","volume-title":"Language Evolution: Contact, Competition and Change","author":"Mufwene S. S.","year":"2008"},{"key":"rf43","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2307\/1414186"},{"key":"rf44","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1126\/science.291.5501.114"},{"key":"rf45","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.96.14.8028"},{"key":"rf46","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1098\/rspb.1999.0898"},{"key":"rf49","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jtbi.2004.10.025"},{"key":"rf50","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/00238309030460020401"},{"key":"rf51","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/00238309030460020501"},{"key":"rf52","volume-title":"The Emergence of the Deaf Community in Nicaragua","author":"Polich L.","year":"2005"},{"key":"rf53","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s11049-011-9128-2"},{"key":"rf54","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.0405448102"},{"key":"rf56","unstructured":"J.L.\u00a0Schwartz, L.J.\u00a0Bo\u00eb and C.\u00a0Abry, Experimental Approaches to Phonology, eds. M. J.\u00a0Sol\u00e9, P. S.\u00a0Beddor and M.\u00a0Ohala (Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2007)\u00a0pp. 104\u2013124."},{"key":"rf57","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1006\/jpho.1997.0043"},{"key":"rf58","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.tics.2010.06.006"},{"key":"rf59","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1126\/science.1100199"},{"key":"rf60","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/nature04485"},{"key":"rf61","first-page":"1","volume":"6","author":"Smith K.","journal-title":"Adv. Complex Syst."},{"key":"rf62","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1162\/106454603322694825"},{"key":"rf63","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1098\/rstb.2008.0147"},{"key":"rf64","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1098\/rstb.2008.0145"},{"key":"rf65","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cognition.2010.06.004"},{"key":"rf66","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1162\/artl.1995.2.3.319"},{"key":"rf67","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1075\/eoc.1.1.02ste"},{"key":"rf68","unstructured":"L.\u00a0Steels, Machine Intelligence\u00a015, eds. K.\u00a0Furukawa, D.\u00a0Michie and S.\u00a0Muggleton (Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1999)\u00a0pp. 205\u2013224."},{"key":"rf69","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"469","DOI":"10.1017\/S0140525X05000087","volume":"28","author":"Steels L.","journal-title":"Behav. Brain Sci."},{"key":"rf70","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1142\/S021952599800020X"},{"key":"rf74","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S0921-8890(02)00353-6"},{"key":"rf75","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1126\/science.185.4152.663"},{"key":"rf76","unstructured":"W.\u00a0Zuidema, Advances in Neural Information Processing Systems 15, eds. S.\u00a0Becker, S.\u00a0Thrun and K.\u00a0Obermayer (MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, 2003)\u00a0pp. 51\u201358."},{"key":"rf77","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.wocn.2008.10.003"},{"key":"rf78","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1162\/106454603322694834"}],"container-title":["Advances in Complex Systems"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.worldscientific.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1142\/S0219525911500214","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2024,4,21]],"date-time":"2024-04-21T10:14:58Z","timestamp":1713694498000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.worldscientific.com\/doi\/abs\/10.1142\/S0219525911500214"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2012,5]]},"references-count":70,"journal-issue":{"issue":"03n04","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2012,5,24]]},"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2012,5]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1142\/S0219525911500214"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1142\/s0219525911500214","relation":{},"ISSN":["0219-5259","1793-6802"],"issn-type":[{"value":"0219-5259","type":"print"},{"value":"1793-6802","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2012,5]]}}}