Using a Language Model to Unravel Semantic Development in Children’s Use of a Dutch Perception Verb
Publication date
2024
Authors
van Dijk, Bram
van Duijn, Max
Kloostra, Li
Spruit, Marco
Beekhuizen, Barend
Editors
Zock, Michael
Chersoni, Emmanuele
Hsu, Yu-Yin
De Deyne, Simon
Advisors
Supervisors
DOI
Document Type
Part of book
Metadata
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License
cc_by
Abstract
We employ a Language Model (LM) to gain insight into how complex semantics of Dutch Perception Verb (PV) zien (‘to see’) emerge in children. Using a Dutch LM as representation of mature language use, we find that for ages 4-12y 1) the LM accurately predicts PV use in children’s freely-told narratives; 2) children’s PV use is close to mature use; and 3) complex PV meanings with attentional and cognitive aspects can be found. Our approach illustrates how LMs can be meaningfully employed in studying language development, hence takes a constructive position in the debate on the relevance of LMs in this context.
Keywords
computational modelling, language development, language models, pragmatics, semantics, Language and Linguistics, Education, Library and Information Sciences, Linguistics and Language
Citation
van Dijk, B, van Duijn, M, Kloostra, L, Spruit, M & Beekhuizen, B 2024, Using a Language Model to Unravel Semantic Development in Children’s Use of a Dutch Perception Verb. in M Zock, E Chersoni, Y-Y Hsu & S De Deyne (eds), Proceedings of the Workshop on Cognitive Aspects of the Lexicon @ LREC-COLING 2024. European Language Resources Association (ELRA), pp. 98-106, 8th Workshop on Cognitive Aspects of the Lexicon, CogALex 2024, Torino, Italy, 20/05/24. < https://aclanthology.org/2024.cogalex-1.11 >, conference