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Adult learning of a novel quantifier tracks semantic universals
Sonia Ramotowska1, Leendert van Maanen2, Jakub Szymanik3
1Institut Jean-Nicod, Département d'Études Cognitives, École Normale Supérieure - PSL, EHESS, CNRS, Paris, France; Institute for Logic, Language and Computation, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Cognition
|March 15, 2026
Summary
Semantic universals in language, like conservativity and quantity, are easier to learn. This study found that quantifiers with these properties were learned faster, supporting the learnability hypothesis for language universals.
Area of Science:
- Linguistics
- Cognitive Science
- Psychology
Background:
- Natural languages exhibit universal properties, particularly in quantification.
- Three key semantic universals identified: monotonicity, quantity, and conservativity.
- The origin of these semantic universals remains a significant research question.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the learnability hypothesis as an explanation for semantic universals.
- To determine if quantifiers exhibiting universals are easier to learn.
- To provide empirical evidence for the role of learnability in language structure.
Main Methods:
- A large-scale, online, between-subjects experiment was conducted.
- Participants learned a novel quantifier, 'gleeb', representing various universal properties.
- Learning speed was measured to assess acquisition efficiency.
Main Results:
- Conservativity significantly increased learning speed compared to non-conservative quantifiers.
- Quantitative quantifiers were learned faster than non-quantitative ones.
- Upward monotone quantifiers showed faster acquisition than non-monotone quantifiers; convexity did not significantly impact learning speed.
Conclusions:
- The findings provide strong support for the learnability hypothesis.
- Semantic universals appear to be rooted in cognitive ease of learning.
- This research offers insight into the evolutionary pressures shaping natural language quantification.
Keywords:
ConservativityConvexityLearnabilityLexical universalsMonotonicityQuantifiersQuantitySemanticsMore Related Videos
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