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Conceptual pacts and lexical choice in conversation
1Department of Psychology, State University of New York at Stony Brook 11794-2500, USA. susan.brennan@sunysb.edu
Journal of Experimental Psychology. Learning, Memory, and Cognition
|November 1, 1996
Summary
Lexical entrainment, the tendency to use consistent terms for objects in conversation, is explained by historical factors. This study shows people form conceptual pacts for shared understanding, adapting them over time.
Area of Science:
- Psycholinguistics
- Cognitive Science
- Sociolinguistics
Background:
- Conversational partners often develop shared terminology for objects.
- Lexical entrainment describes this phenomenon, with competing historical and ahistorical explanations.
- Previous theories focused on term informativeness, feature salience, or reference frequency.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the underlying mechanisms of lexical entrainment.
- To determine whether historical or ahistorical accounts better explain term alignment in conversation.
- To explore the role of conceptual pacts in maintaining shared references.
Main Methods:
- Three experiments were conducted to test hypotheses about lexical entrainment.
- Participants' conversational references to objects were analyzed.
- The study examined the influence of past references and interactive conceptualizations.
Main Results:
- Evidence supports a historical account of lexical entrainment over ahistorical ones.
- Speakers propose object conceptualizations, forming 'conceptual pacts' with listeners.
- These pacts are utilized for subsequent references, even when simpler alternatives exist.
Conclusions:
- Lexical entrainment relies on historical context and interactive agreement (conceptual pacts).
- Conceptual pacts are dynamic, simplifying and potentially being abandoned over time.
- This research highlights the importance of shared history and agreement in language use.
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