Honesty Networks Language Conclusion
Grice in the Grammar: How Dynamic Social NetworksGive Rise to Honesty and Evidentials
GURT 2014
Christopher Ahern
University of Pennsylvania
March 16, 2014
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Honesty Networks Language Conclusion
[Grice(1975)]
Maxim of QualityTry to make your contribution one that is true:
1 Do not say what you believe to be false.2 Do not say that for which you lack evidence.
Cooperative PrincipleMake your conversational contribution such as isrequired, at the stage at which it occurs, by theaccepted purposes or direction of the talk exchange.
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Honesty Networks Language Conclusion
[Grice(1975)]
I am, however, enough of a rationalist towant to find a basis that underlies thesefacts, undeniable though they may be; Iwould like to be able to think of the standardtype of conversational practice not merely assomething that all or most do in fact followbut as something that it is reasonable for usto follow, that we should not abandon.
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Honesty Networks Language Conclusion
Questions
Why abide by the Maxim of Quality and the Cooperative Principle?
What consequences for the structure of language?
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Honesty Networks Language Conclusion
Outline
1 Honesty
2 Networks
3 Language
4 Conclusion
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Honesty Networks Language Conclusion
Cooperation
[Nowak(2006)]
Cooperation means that selfishreplicators forgo some of their reproductivepotential to help one another. But naturalselection implies competition and thereforeopposes cooperation unless a specificmechanism is at work.
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Honesty Networks Language Conclusion
Cooperation
Prisoner’s Dilemma
Cooperate DefectCooperate b− c, b− c −c, bDefect b, −c 0,0
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Honesty Networks Language Conclusion
Cooperation
Prisoner’s Dilemma
Cooperate DefectCooperate 5, 5 −5, 10Defect 10, −5 0,0
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Honesty Networks Language Conclusion
Signaling
[Searcy and Nowicki(2005)]
One might expect many instances inwhich signalers would attempt to profitindividually by conveying dishonestinformation.
...if dishonesty is common, it also is notobvious why receivers should respond tosignals.
...if receivers fail to respond to signals, itis not obvious how signaling systems canexist at all.
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Honesty Networks Language Conclusion
Mechanisms
[Mencken(1949)]
Conscience is the inner voice thatwarns us somebody may be looking.
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Honesty Networks Language Conclusion
Mechanisms
[Scott-Phillips(2008)]
1 Indices: signal form is tied to meaning2 Handicaps: costs borne by honest senders3 Deterrents: costs borne by dishonest senders
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Honesty Networks Language Conclusion
Mechanisms
[Reby and McComb(2003)]
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Honesty Networks Language Conclusion
Mechanisms
[Zahavi(1975)] [Grafen(1990)] [Spence(1973)]
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Honesty Networks Language Conclusion
Simulations
Iterated Prisoner’s Dilemma
1 Each agent has rate ofcooperation, θ ∈ [0,1]
2 Agents interact, update strengthof relationship
3 Relationships below threshold areremoved
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Honesty Networks Language Conclusion
Simulations
Iterated Prisoner’s Dilemma
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Honesty Networks Language Conclusion
Simulations
[Apicella et al.(2012)Apicella, Marlowe, Fowler, and Christakis]
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Honesty Networks Language Conclusion
Simulations
[Apicella et al.(2012)Apicella, Marlowe, Fowler, and Christakis]
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Honesty Networks Language Conclusion
Simulations
Iterated Information Sharing
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Honesty Networks Language Conclusion
Simulations
Iterated Information Sharing
1 Agents have information aboutstate of the world, τ ∈ [0,1]
2 Agents choose to shareinformation, θ ∈ [0,1]
3 Agents update strength ofrelationship according toreliability
4 Relationships below threshold areremoved
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Honesty Networks Language Conclusion
Simulations
Iterated Information Sharing
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Honesty Networks Language Conclusion
Again
[Grice(1975)]
Maxim of QualityTry to make your contribution one that is true:
1 Do not say what you believe to be false.2 Do not say that for which you lack evidence.
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Honesty Networks Language Conclusion
Again
[Grice(1975)]
Cooperative PrincipleMake your conversational contribution such as isrequired, at the stage at which it occurs, by theaccepted purposes or direction of the talk exchange.
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Honesty Networks Language Conclusion
Division
[Lakoff(1973)]
HedgingA robin is sort of a bird.
A penguin is sort of a bird.
A bat is sort of a bird.
A cow is sort of a bird.
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Honesty Networks Language Conclusion
Division
[Davis et al.(2007)Davis, Potts, and Speas]
Quality Threshold [Potts(2007)]An utterance U by speaker S in context Csatisfies quality iff its quality rating, µC(U), isabove the quality threshold Cτ for C.
Evidentials, Modals, HedgesSpeakers can signal quality threshold theyexpect an utterance to be evaluated by.Conventionally implicate commitment to somedifferent quality threshold Cτ ′ .
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Honesty Networks Language Conclusion
Division
[Horn(1984)]
Division of Pragmatic LaborUnmarked form associated with more frequentmeaning
Marked form associated with less frequentmeaning
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Honesty Networks Language Conclusion
Evidentials
WALS [Dryer and Haspelmath(2013)]
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Honesty Networks Language Conclusion
Evidentials
WALS [Dryer and Haspelmath(2013)]
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Honesty Networks Language Conclusion
Questions
Questions
Why abide by the Maxim of Quality and the Cooperative Principle?Maintenance of relationships and standing
Still allows room for varying thresholds
What consequences for the structure of language?Pragmatic pressures shape linguistic structure
Yesterday’s pragmatics is today’s morphosyntax!
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Honesty Networks Language Conclusion
Future Directions
Future Directions
TheoreticalRicher notions of interactions
Broader definition of information
EmpiricalControlled testing of use
Cross-linguistic comparisons
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Honesty Networks Language Conclusion
Future Directions
Thanks!
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Honesty Networks Language Conclusion
Future Directions
Bibliography I
Coren L. Apicella, Frank W. Marlowe, James H. Fowler, and Nicholas A.Christakis.Social networks and cooperation in hunter-gatherers.Nature, 481(7382):497–501, 2012.
Christopher Davis, Christopher Potts, and Margaret Speas.The pragmatic values of evidential sentences.In Proceedings of SALT, volume 17, pages 71–88, 2007.
Matthew S. Dryer and Martin Haspelmath, editors.WALS Online.Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, 2013.URL http://wals.info/.
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Honesty Networks Language Conclusion
Future Directions
Bibliography II
A. Grafen.Biological signals as handicaps.Journal of theoretical biology, 144(4):517–546, 1990.
H.P. Grice.Logic and conversation.In Studies in the Way of Words, pages 22–40. Harvard University Press,1975.
L. Horn.Towards a new taxonomy for pragmatic inference: Q-based and R-basedimplicature.In D. Schiffrin, editor, Meaning, form, and use in context, volume 42,pages 11–42. Washington: Georgetown University Press, 1984.
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Honesty Networks Language Conclusion
Future Directions
Bibliography III
G. Lakoff.Hedges: A study in meaning criteria and the logic of fuzzy concepts.Journal of philosophical logic, 2(4):458–508, 1973.
H.L. Mencken.A Mencken Chrestomathy.Vintage, 1949.
Martin A. Nowak.Five Rules for the Evolution of Cooperation.Science, 314(5805):1560–1563, 2006.
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Honesty Networks Language Conclusion
Future Directions
Bibliography IV
Christopher Potts.Conversational implicatures via general pragmatic pressures.In New Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence, pages 205–218. Springer,2007.
D. Reby and K. McComb.Anatomical constraints generate honesty: acoustic cues to age and weightin the roars of red deer stags.Animal behaviour, 65(3):519–530, 2003.
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Honesty Networks Language Conclusion
Future Directions
Bibliography V
T.C. Scott-Phillips.On the correct application of animal signalling theory to humancommunication.In A. D. M. Smith, K. Smith, and R. Ferrer i Cancho, editors, Theevolution of language: Proceedings of the 7th International Conferenceon the Evolution of Language, pages 275–282, Singapore, 2008. WorldScientific Press.
William A. Searcy and Stephen Nowicki.The Evolution of Animal Communication: Reliability and Deception inSignaling Systems.Princeton University Press, Princeton, 2005.
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Honesty Networks Language Conclusion
Future Directions
Bibliography VI
M. Spence.Job market signaling.The quarterly journal of Economics, 87(3):355–374, 1973.
A. Zahavi.Mate selection–a selection for a handicap.Journal of theoretical Biology, 53(1):205–214, 1975.
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