A model of linguistic accommodation leading to language simplification
Stella Frank, Kenny Smith · 2018
Language complexity seems to be influenced by population characteristics such as the proportion of adult learners. One potential explanation for this link is that native speakers accommodate to non-native speakers, simplifying their language use during such interactions: learners may then acquire a less complex language. We model accommodation in interaction in a Bayesian framework, where in order to accommodate appropriately, an agent must first infer their interlocutor’s linguistic abilities. We find that when the agent consistently accommodates, learners end up with a simplified language, due to a reinforcing effect between an initially underinformed learner and an accommodating native speaker.