Linguistic selection of language strategies: A case study for colour

Abstract

Language evolution takes place at two levels: the level of language strategies, which are ways in which a particular subarea of meaning and function is structured and expressed, and the level of concrete linguistic choices for the meanings, words, or grammatical constructions that instantiate a particular language strategy. It is now reasonably well understood how a shared language strategy enables a population of agents to self-organise a shared language system. But the origins and evolution of strategies has so far been explored less. This paper proposes that linguistic selection, i.e. selection driven by communicative success and cognitive effort, is relevant and shows a concrete case study for the domain of colour on how different language strategies may cooperate and compete for dominance in a population. © 2011 Springer-Verlag.