Selective advantages of syntactic language - a model study

Abstract

We study a computational model of the evolution of language in groups of agents to evaluate under which circumstances syntax emerges. The fitness in the model depends on the composition of the population. We find that this fact significantly alters the evolutionary dynamics. If scores are attributed to both speaker and hearer, expressive syntax is hard to obtain. If scores are attributed only to the hearer, syntax develops, but agents loose the willingness to speak. Implications and a possible solution of this paradox are discussed.