Chunk‐Based Memory Constraints on the Cultural Evolution of Language

摘要: In the fields of linguistics and cognitive science, considerable attention has been devoted to question how linguistic structure emerged over evolutionary time. Here, we highlight contribution a fundamental constraint on processing, Now-or-Never bottleneck. Language takes place in here now, with transience acoustic speech signals our exceedingly limited memory for sound sequences requiring immediate processing. To overcome this bottleneck, system employs basic chunking mechanisms rapidly compress recode incoming input into increasingly abstract levels representation, thereby prolonging its retention memory. Our suggestion is that these chunk-based processes influence across multiple time scales. Chunk-based constraints govern language acquisition processing level individual. Through usage, structures are more easily chunked will tend proliferate, thus shaping cultural evolution generations users. This results selection learnable structures, from individual words multiword optimally "chunkable," so as better squeeze through From perspective, can be thought an adaptive culturally evolves fit learners' capabilities, resulting it bears today.