The analogical modeling of linguistic categories

2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 52-87 ◽  
Author(s):  
STEVE CHANDLER
Keyword(s):  
Current Understanding ◽  
Prototype Theory ◽  
Alternative Models ◽  
Linguistic Data ◽  
Analogical Model ◽  
Cognitive Operation ◽  
Linguistic Categories ◽  
Linguistic Categorization ◽  
Linguistic Structures ◽  
The Brain

abstractIn recent years proponents of usage-based linguistics have singled out ‘categorization’ as possibly the fundamental cognitive operation underlying the acquisition and use of language. Despite this increasing appeal to the importance of categorization, few researchers have yet offered explicit interpretations of how linguistic categories might be represented in the brain other than vague allusions to prototype theory, especially as implemented in connectionist-like frameworks. In this paper, I discuss in some detail the implications of superimposing the theoretical representations of linguistic structures onto domain-general models of categorization. I first review the evidence that instance-based, or exemplar-based, models of categorization provide empirically and theoretically better models of both domain-general categorization and of linguistic categorization than do the most commonly cited alternative models. I then argue that of the three exemplar-based models currently being applied to linguistic data, Skousen’s Analogical Model (AM) appears to provide the simplest, most straightforward account of the data and that it appears to be fully compatible with our current understanding of the psychological capabilities and operations that underlie categorization behavior.

scholarly journals Ocular dynamics reveal articulatory processing at single-phoneme level during silent reading

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan Taitz ◽  
Diego E Shalom ◽  
Marcos A Trevisan
Keyword(s):  
Vocal Tract ◽  
Silent Reading ◽  
Cognitive Operation ◽  
Relevant Question ◽  
Articulatory Features ◽  
Vocal System ◽  
Verbal Content ◽  
Overt Speech ◽  
Articulatory Model ◽  
The Brain

Silent reading is a cognitive operation that produces verbal content with no vocal output. One relevant question is the extent to which this verbal content is processed as overt speech in the brain. To address this, we investigated the signatures of articulatory processing during reading. We acquired sound, eye trajectories and vocal gestures during the reading of consonant-consonant-vowel (CCV) pseudowords. We found that the duration of the first fixations on the CCVs during silent reading are correlated to the duration of the transitions between consonants when the CCVs are actually uttered. An articulatory model of the vocal system was implemented to show that consonantal transitions measure the articulatory effort required to produce the CCVs. These results demonstrate that silent reading is modulated by slight articulatory features such as the laryngeal abduction needed to devoice a single consonant or the reshaping of the vocal tract between successive consonants.

A Model of Complexity Levels of Meaning Constitution in Simulation Models of Language Evolution

2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andy Lücking ◽  
Alexander Mehler
Keyword(s):  
Physical Properties ◽  
Language Evolution ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Simulation Models ◽  
Context Dependency ◽  
Abstract Objects ◽  
Linguistic Terms ◽  
Left And Right ◽  
Linguistic Categories ◽  
Linguistic Categorization

Currently, some simulative accounts exist within dynamic or evolutionary frameworks that are concerned with the development of linguistic categories within a population of language users. Although these studies mostly emphasize that their models are abstract, the paradigm categorization domain is preferably that of colors. In this paper, the authors argue that color adjectives are special predicates in both linguistic and metaphysical terms: semantically, they are intersective predicates, metaphysically, color properties can be empirically reduced onto purely physical properties. The restriction of categorization simulations to the color paradigm systematically leads to ignoring two ubiquitous features of natural language predicates, namely relativity and context-dependency. Therefore, the models for simulation models of linguistic categories are not able to capture the formation of categories like perspective-dependent predicates ‘left’ and ‘right’, subsective predicates like ‘small’ and ‘big’, or predicates that make reference to abstract objects like ‘I prefer this kind of situation’. The authors develop a three-dimensional grid of ascending complexity that is partitioned according to the semiotic triangle. They also develop a conceptual model in the form of a decision grid by means of which the complexity level of simulation models of linguistic categorization can be assessed in linguistic terms.

scholarly journals Phase synchronization varies systematically with linguistic structure composition

2019 ◽  
Vol 375 (1791) ◽  
pp. 20190305 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan R. Brennan ◽  
Andrea E. Martin
Keyword(s):  
Language Processing ◽  
Phase Synchronization ◽  
Natural Extension ◽  
Function Words ◽  
Linguistic Structure ◽  
Link Type ◽  
Phase Alignment ◽  
The Time Domain ◽  
Linguistic Structures ◽  
The Brain

Computation in neuronal assemblies is putatively reflected in the excitatory and inhibitory cycles of activation distributed throughout the brain. In speech and language processing, coordination of these cycles resulting in phase synchronization has been argued to reflect the integration of information on different timescales (e.g. segmenting acoustics signals to phonemic and syllabic representations; (Giraud and Poeppel 2012 Nat. Neurosci. 15 , 511 ( doi:10.1038/nn.3063 )). A natural extension of this claim is that phase synchronization functions similarly to support the inference of more abstract higher-level linguistic structures (Martin 2016 Front. Psychol. 7 , 120; Martin and Doumas 2017 PLoS Biol . 15 , e2000663 ( doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.2000663 ); Martin and Doumas. 2019 Curr. Opin. Behav. Sci. 29 , 77–83 ( doi:10.1016/j.cobeha.2019.04.008 )). Hale et al . (Hale et al . 2018 Finding syntax in human encephalography with beam search. arXiv 1806.04127 ( http://arxiv.org/abs/1806.04127 )) showed that syntactically driven parsing decisions predict electroencephalography (EEG) responses in the time domain; here we ask whether phase synchronization in the form of either inter-trial phrase coherence or cross-frequency coupling (CFC) between high-frequency (i.e. gamma) bursts and lower-frequency carrier signals (i.e. delta, theta), changes as the linguistic structures of compositional meaning ( viz ., bracket completions, as denoted by the onset of words that complete phrases) accrue. We use a naturalistic story-listening EEG dataset from Hale et al . to assess the relationship between linguistic structure and phase alignment. We observe increased phase synchronization as a function of phrase counts in the delta, theta, and gamma bands, especially for function words. A more complex pattern emerged for CFC as phrase count changed, possibly related to the lack of a one-to-one mapping between ‘size’ of linguistic structure and frequency band—an assumption that is tacit in recent frameworks. These results emphasize the important role that phase synchronization, desynchronization, and thus, inhibition, play in the construction of compositional meaning by distributed neural networks in the brain. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Towards mechanistic models of meaning composition’.

scholarly journals Novel rapid-acting antidepressants: molecular and cellular signaling mechanisms

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra M. Thomas ◽  
Ronald S. Duman
Keyword(s):  
Nmda Receptor ◽  
Signaling Pathways ◽  
Neural Circuits ◽  
Cellular Signaling ◽  
Treatment Options ◽  
Time Lag ◽  
Current Understanding ◽  
Signaling Mechanisms ◽  
Research Techniques ◽  
The Brain

Depression is a chronic, debilitating, and common illness. Currently available pharmacotherapies can be helpful but have several major drawbacks, including substantial rates of low or no response and a long therapeutic time lag. In pursuit of better treatment options, recent research has focussed on rapid-acting antidepressants, including the N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor (NMDAR) antagonist ketamine, which affects a range of signaling pathways in ways that are distinct from the mechanisms of typical antidepressants. Because ketamine and similar drugs hold the promise of dramatically improving treatment options for depressed patients, there has been considerable interest in developing new ways to understand how these compounds affect the brain. Here, we review the current understanding of how rapid-acting antidepressants function, including their effects on neuronal signaling pathways and neural circuits, and the research techniques being used to address these questions.

scholarly journals Exploring the Roles of Complex Networks in Linguistic Categorization

2011 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 107-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tao Gong ◽  
Andrea Baronchelli ◽  
Andrea Puglisi ◽  
Vittorio Loreto
Keyword(s):  
Social Structure ◽  
General Framework ◽  
Language Evolution ◽  
Structural Features ◽  
Collective Effects ◽  
Game Model ◽  
Artificial Agents ◽  
Simulation Results ◽  
Linguistic Categories ◽  
Linguistic Categorization

This article adopts the category game model, which simulates the origins and evolution of linguistic categories in a group of artificial agents, to evaluate the effect of social structure on linguistic categorization. Based on the simulation results in a number of typical networks, we examine the isolating and collective effects of some structural features, including average degree, shortcuts, and level of centrality, on the categorization process. This study extends the previous simulations mainly on lexical evolution, and illustrates a general framework to systematically explore the effect of social structure on language evolution.

scholarly journals Why are you amused: Unveiling multimodal humor from the prototype theoretical perspective

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 62
Author(s):  
Qiaoyun Chen ◽  
Guiying Jiang
Keyword(s):  
Theoretical Perspective ◽  
Family Resemblance ◽  
Prototype Theory ◽  
Cognitive Mechanisms ◽  
The Family ◽  
Semiotic Approach ◽  
Incongruity Theory ◽  
Linguistic Categories

This paper looks at multimodal humour through the lens of prototype theory in the framework of conventional incongruity theory of humour, aiming for a unified linguistic and semiotic approach to humour. From this perspective, humour can be achieved through the following three aspects of linguistic and non-linguistic categories: 1) prototypicality versus non-prototypicality of category members; 2) the family resemblance shared by category members; 3) vague inter-categorical boundary. The cognitive mechanisms behind this type of multimodal humour and its comprehension are discussed. The intermodal relationships involved are examined and categorised into two major types: complementary and non-complementary ones.

scholarly journals Olfactory language and abstraction across cultures

2018 ◽  
Vol 373 (1752) ◽  
pp. 20170139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Asifa Majid ◽  
Niclas Burenhult ◽  
Marcus Stensmyr ◽  
Josje de Valk ◽  
Bill S. Hansson
Keyword(s):  
Facial Expressions ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Emotional Reactions ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Abstract Concepts ◽  
Hunter Gatherers ◽  
Sensory Experiences ◽  
Abstract Domains ◽  
Linguistic Categorization ◽  
The Brain

Olfaction presents a particularly interesting arena to explore abstraction in language. Like other abstract domains, such as time, odours can be difficult to conceptualize. An odour cannot be seen or held, it can be difficult to locate in space, and for most people odours are difficult to verbalize. On the other hand, odours give rise to primary sensory experiences. Every time we inhale we are using olfaction to make sense of our environment. We present new experimental data from 30 Jahai hunter-gatherers from the Malay Peninsula and 30 matched Dutch participants from the Netherlands in an odour naming experiment. Participants smelled monomolecular odorants and named odours while reaction times, odour descriptors and facial expressions were measured. We show that while Dutch speakers relied on concrete descriptors, i.e. they referred to odour sources (e.g. smells like lemon ), the Jahai used abstract vocabulary to name the same odours (e.g. musty ). Despite this differential linguistic categorization, analysis of facial expressions showed that the two groups, nevertheless, had the same initial emotional reactions to odours. Critically, these cross-cultural data present a challenge for how to think about abstraction in language. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Varieties of abstract concepts: development, use and representation in the brain’.

The beginnings of a system

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter John Glanville
Keyword(s):  
Final Section ◽  
Similar Process ◽  
Conceptual Blending ◽  
Relational Structures ◽  
Cognitive Operation ◽  
Shape Invariant ◽  
System P ◽  
Linguistic Categorization

Chapter 8 concludes the book with a theory of how the verb patterns of Arabic have come to exist. It presents evidence from numerous studies of grammaticalization that show bound morphemes developing from full lexical words which reduce phonetically and fuse with other words, and it asserts that Arabic verb patterns are the result of a similar process. It also argues that once created, verb patterns become associated with abstract relational structures, allowing them to be employed in a wider range of contexts. The chapter discusses the role of analogy and linguistic categorization in shape-invariant morphology, and illustrates how derivation within this system reflects a cognitive operation termed conceptual blending. The final section discusses directions for further research.

scholarly journals Arabic Alphabetic Puzzle Game Using Eye Tracking and Chatbot for Dyslexia

2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 58
Author(s):  
Nahla Aljojo ◽  
Asmaa Munshi ◽  
Wfaa Almukadi ◽  
Anhar Hossain ◽  
Noran Omar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Learning Disabilities ◽  
Eye Tracking ◽  
Language Processing ◽  
Current Understanding ◽  
The Brain

<p>Dyslexia is a problem that an individual has since birth; it poses difficulties for the rest of their life, similar to other learning disabilities. Spelling, writing, reading and in certain instances speech can all be undermined by the language processing disorder. Idleness or a lack of intellect are not associated with dyslexia. Furthermore, sight problems do not cause dyslexia. Rather, data is evaluated and understood by the brain in alternative ways, making dyslexia a neurological ailment afflicting both children and grown-ups.</p><p>This paper seeks to devise a puzzle game application based on eye tracking, which will assist with focusing attention, as well as a chatbot that can motivate users. This should prove beneficial to individuals with dyslexia, parents of dyslexics, or experts such as reading professionals, instructors and teachers who are assisting dyslexics. Based on the best current understanding of how to assist dyslexics, we meticulously assessed every application prior to its inclusion. </p>

scholarly journals Computational Models of Face Perception

2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 263-269 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aleix M. Martinez
Keyword(s):  
Computer Vision ◽  
Inverse Problem ◽  
Facial Expression ◽  
Computational Modeling ◽  
Face Perception ◽  
Computational Models ◽  
Emotional State ◽  
Current Understanding ◽  
Important Means ◽  
The Brain

Faces are one of the most important means of communication for humans. For example, a short glance at a person’s face provides information about his or her identity and emotional state. What are the computations the brain uses to acquire this information so accurately and seemingly effortlessly? This article summarizes current research on computational modeling, a technique used to answer this question. Specifically, my research tests the hypothesis that this algorithm is tasked with solving the inverse problem of production. For example, to recognize identity, our brain needs to identify shape and shading features that are invariant to facial expression, pose, and illumination. Similarly, to recognize emotion, the brain needs to identify shape and shading features that are invariant to identity, pose, and illumination. If one defines the physics equations that render an image under different identities, expressions, poses, and illuminations, then gaining invariance to these factors can be readily resolved by computing the inverse of this rendering function. I describe our current understanding of the algorithms used by our brains to resolve this inverse problem. I also discuss how these results are driving research in computer vision to design computer systems that are as accurate, robust, and efficient as humans.

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