RUI - Investigating the Design of Human Communication Systems in the Laboratory: The Effects of Mimesis

Yeshiva University, New York NY

Investigators

Abstract

When deaf children are not exposed to sign language they spontaneously develop novel forms of communication. In the laboratory, adults interacting in the absence of conventional means of communication also have a remarkable talent for developing novel forms of communication. Bruno Galantucci and his students at Yeshiva University use these observations to test a simple hypothesis about the core design principles of natural languages. At the most fundamental level, spoken languages rely on a few dozen basic forms. Sign languages, however, rely on a much larger number of basic forms. Signed and spoken languages also differ in another way: The forms of sign language can more easily mimic aspects of the world to which they refer than can the forms of speech. It may be that the two differences are intimately connected: The more the forms of a communication system mimic the world, the more likely it is that the system relies on a large set of basic forms. If correct, this provides a simple and elegant explanation for a core difference in design between spoken and signed languages. This research will be carried out at Yeshiva University, a primarily undergraduate institution, and will provide excellent research experience for undergraduate students. The project also develops an innovative methodology which will be made readily available to other researchers through a dedicated website. Such methodology can be used for further investigations of the core mechanisms supporting human communication. Knowledge about these mechanisms has a number of potential applications. For example, it can be used (a) to design languages which facilitate universal communication over the internet; (b) to develop new technologies to help people who suffer from communication disorders; and (c) to improve the methods used for teaching foreign languages.