The importance of modeling pragmatic syntactic bootstrapping
1Departments of Psychology and Linguistics, University of Southern California, USA.
Journal of Child Language
|September 22, 2023
Summary
Syntactic bootstrapping helps infer word meanings from sentence structure. This study explores its limits with abstract verbs and proposes pragmatic syntactic bootstrapping as a solution, suggesting computational modeling for further research.
Area of Science:
- Psycholinguistics
- Computational Linguistics
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Syntactic bootstrapping links sentence structure to word meaning, aiding verb acquisition.
- Existing models face challenges with abstract verbs lacking observable referents, like attitude and modal verbs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the limitations of syntactic bootstrapping for inferring meanings of abstract verbs.
- To explore the potential of pragmatic syntactic bootstrapping in addressing these limitations.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of Hacquard's (2022) keynote paper, which reviews behavioral experiments, corpus analyses, and computational models.
- Commentary suggesting computational modeling as a fruitful approach for evaluating and developing the proposed pragmatic syntactic bootstrapping account.
Main Results:
- Purely syntactic bootstrapping has limitations with abstract verbs (e.g., 'think', 'want', 'must').
- Augmenting syntactic information with pragmatic information may overcome these limitations.
Conclusions:
- Pragmatic syntactic bootstrapping offers a promising framework for understanding abstract verb acquisition.
- Further computational modeling is recommended to rigorously test and refine this account.
Related Concept Videos
01:26Modeling in Therapy
114
Modeling, a key technique in therapy, uses observational learning to help clients acquire and practice new skills by watching therapists demonstrate desired behaviors. This approach, rooted in Albert Bandura's concept of vicarious learning, plays a significant role in therapeutic interventions for various psychological conditions, including social anxiety, ADHD, and depression.
Participant Modeling
Participant modeling involves therapists demonstrating calm and effective behaviors in...
Participant Modeling
Participant modeling involves therapists demonstrating calm and effective behaviors in...
114
01:24Bootstrapping
628
The term "bootstrap" originated in the 19th century as a metaphor for self-improvement or achieving something independently, without external assistance. This concept extends to statistical bootstrapping, a self-contained method for estimating population parameters through resampling, even though it can be computationally intensive. Developed by the American statistician Dr. Bradley Efron in 1979, bootstrapping provides a robust way to perform inference when the original sample size is...
628
01:24Concepts and Prototypes
169
The human nervous system handles vast amounts of information by translating sensory stimuli into neural impulses, which the brain processes, creating thoughts expressed through language or stored as memories. The brain also synthesizes information from emotions and memories, which significantly influence thoughts and behaviors. This intricate process creates a comprehensive mental picture.
The brain organizes this information using concepts, which are mental categories grouping linguistic data,...
The brain organizes this information using concepts, which are mental categories grouping linguistic data,...
169
01:22Language Development
393
Children master language quickly and with relative ease, supported by both biological predisposition and reinforcement. B. F. Skinner (1957) proposed that language is learned through reinforcement, while Noam Chomsky (1965) argued that language acquisition mechanisms are biologically determined.
The critical period for language acquisition suggests that the ability to acquire language is at its peak early in life. As people age, this proficiency decreases. Language development begins very...
The critical period for language acquisition suggests that the ability to acquire language is at its peak early in life. As people age, this proficiency decreases. Language development begins very...
393
01:30Typical Model Studies
376
Fluid mechanics model studies often utilize scaled-down systems to predict fluid behavior in full-scale environments, such as river flows, dam spillways, and structures interacting with open surfaces. Maintaining Froude number similarity in river models is crucial, as it replicates surface flow features like wave patterns and velocities.
376
01:14Steps in the Modeling Process
233
Albert Bandura's theory of observational learning identifies four critical processes: attention, retention, motor reproduction, and reinforcement or motivation.
Attention is the first necessary component for observational learning. It involves focusing on what the model is doing and saying. For example, if you decide to take a drawing class to enhance your skills, you need to pay close attention to the instructor's words and hand movements. The characteristics of the model significantly...
Attention is the first necessary component for observational learning. It involves focusing on what the model is doing and saying. For example, if you decide to take a drawing class to enhance your skills, you need to pay close attention to the instructor's words and hand movements. The characteristics of the model significantly...
233