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The Emergence of Natural Language Quantification
Annemarie Kocab1,2, Kathryn Davidson2, Jesse Snedeker1
1Department of Psychology, Harvard University.
Cognitive Science
|February 5, 2022
Summary
Classical quantifiers like "all" and "some" appear in Nicaraguan Sign Language (NSL), a newly emerged language. This suggests quantification may be a universal human cognitive trait or rapidly developed.
Area of Science:
- Linguistics
- Cognitive Science
- Developmental Psychology
Background:
- Classical quantifiers (e.g., all, some, none) are common in human languages, enabling generalizations.
- The universality of quantifiers raises questions about innate cognitive properties versus cultural evolution.
- Nicaraguan Sign Language (NSL) provides a unique case study of a language emerging in isolation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the presence and nature of classical quantifiers in Nicaraguan Sign Language (NSL).
- To determine if quantifier use in NSL reflects universal cognitive principles or rapid cultural adaptation.
Main Methods:
- Observational study of historical NSL data from the 1990s to identify potential quantifier forms.
- Production study eliciting universal (all), existential (some), and negative (none) quantifiers from 17 NSL signers across three age cohorts.
Main Results:
- Evidence of classical quantifier forms was found in historical NSL data.
- The production study confirmed the quantificational meaning of these signs in early NSL signers.
- All three types of classical quantifiers were elicited from the first generation of NSL signers.
Conclusions:
- The presence of classical quantifiers in early NSL suggests a potential universal property of human cognition.
- Alternatively, these findings may indicate an extremely rapid language construction process driven by cognitive predispositions.
- Further research is needed to fully understand the origins and development of quantification in human language.
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