Crosslinguistic word order variation reflects evolutionary pressures of dependency and information locality

Many languages have subject–verb–object order, while many others have subject–object–verb order. Why do languages vary in the way they do, and how does word order evolve? We present a theory postulating that each language exhibits the basic word order it has due to two evolutionary pressures that trade off against each other; some languages prefer to keep syntactically related elements close together, while others prefer to keep elements together if they are informative about each other. Using phylogenetic analyses, we show that our theory explains the crosslinguistic frequency variation in word order and the historical trajectories of word order change. Our findings suggest that grammar and usage coadapt in word order to support efficient communication.

Languages vary considerably in syntactic structure. About 40% of the world’s languages have subject–verb–object order, and about 40% have subject–object–verb order. Extensive work has sought to explain this word order variation across languages. However, the existing approaches are not able to explain coherently the frequency distribution and evolution of word order in individual languages. We propose that variation in word order reflects different ways of balancing competing pressures of dependency locality and information locality, whereby languages favor placing elements together when they are syntactically related or contextually informative about each other. Using data from 80 languages in 17 language families and phylogenetic modeling, we demonstrate that languages evolve to balance these pressures, such that word order change is accompanied by change in the frequency distribution of the syntactic structures that speakers communicate to maintain overall efficiency. Variability in word order thus reflects different ways in which languages resolve these evolutionary pressures. We identify relevant characteristics that result from this joint optimization, particularly the frequency with which subjects and objects are expressed together for the same verb. Our findings suggest that syntactic structure and usage across languages coadapt to support efficient communication under limited cognitive resources.

Quantifiers in Natural Language: Efficient Communication and Degrees of Semantic Universals

While the languages of the world vary greatly, they exhibit systematic patterns, as well. Semantic universals are restrictions on the variation in meaning exhibit cross-linguistically (e.g., that, in all languages, expressions of a certain type can only denote meanings with a certain special property). This paper pursues an efficient communication analysis to explain the presence of semantic universals in a domain of function words: quantifiers. Two experiments measure how well languages do in optimally trading off between competing pressures of simplicity and informativeness. First, we show that artificial languages which more closely resemble natural languages are more optimal. Then, we introduce information-theoretic measures of degrees of semantic universals and show that these are not correlated with optimality in a random sample of artificial languages. These results suggest both that efficient communication shapes semantic typology in both content and function word domains, as well as that semantic universals may not stand in need of independent explanation.

Numeral Systems Across Languages Support Efficient Communication: From Approximate Numerosity to Recursion

Languages differ qualitatively in their numeral systems. At one extreme, some languages have a small set of number terms, which denote approximate or inexact numerosities; at the other extreme, many languages have forms for exact numerosities over a very large range, through a recursively defined counting system. Why do numeral systems vary as they do? Here, we use computational analyses to explore the numeral systems of 30 languages that span this spectrum. We find that these numeral systems all reflect a functional need for efficient communication, mirroring existing arguments in other semantic domains such as color, kinship, and space. Our findings suggest that cross-language variation in numeral systems may be understood in terms of a shared functional need to communicate precisely while using minimal cognitive resources.

Aspects of communication in medical life. Doctor-patient communication: differentiation and customization

One of the weaknesses of the Romanian medical system is the absence of the communicational culture. This absence is felt at all levels of the healthcare system: doctor-patient relationship, doctor-patient's relatives relationship, labor relations within the medical teams and units, the management of the large hospitals and of the medical institutions from the public administration system and last, but not least, the relationships of these units and institutions with the public opinion and, particularly, with the stakeholders. This paper tackled with some of the principles and values that underlie an efficient communication, the default of which was felt in various domains of the Romanian medical life. They were analyzed from the perspective of the Romanian and international literature and the conclusions drawn might inspire proposals for the improvement of the medical education as well as for the professional development of the Romanian doctors.