#426 – Edward Gibson: Human Language, Psycholinguistics, Syntax, Grammar & LLMs
Apr 17, 2024
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Edward Gibson, a professor of psycholinguistics at MIT and head of the MIT Language Lab, dives deep into the fascinating world of language and cognition. He shares his journey from mathematics to mastering linguistics, stressing the relationship between syntax and meaning. The discussion navigates the intricacies of language processing in the brain, contrasting human comprehension with that of large language models. Gibson also examines how cultural contexts influence language evolution, using unique examples from Amazonian tribes to underscore this intricate connection.
Movement theory in syntax involves shifting words like 'will' or 'can' to alter sentence structures.
Dependency grammar simplifies word relationships for clearer linguistic analysis and understanding.
Lexical copying offers an alternative to movement theory for explaining sentence variations in language learning.
Dependency grammar enhances cognitive processing by emphasizing mathematical word relationships.
Language models excel in form-based tasks but struggle with true comprehension, highlighting the importance of meaning in linguistic analysis.
Deep dives
The Notion of Movement in Language Evolution
In the podcast episode with Edward Gibson, or Ted as he's known, the discussion revolves around the concept of movement within syntactic structures in language. This involves the idea that certain words, specifically auxiliary verbs like 'will' or 'can,' can move within a sentence to create different forms, such as changing declarative sentences to interrogative ones. Chomsky's proposition of movement in syntax suggests a rule where words can shift positions to indicate different sentence types, a theory that has been debated in linguistic circles.
Diverse Approaches to Grammar: Phrase Structure vs. Dependency Grammar
In exploring the structure of language, the conversation touches on different methods to describe grammar, notably phrase structure grammar and dependency grammar. While both systems aim to capture the arrangement of words in a sentence, dependency grammar, as favored by Edward Gibson, emphasizes the direct relationships between words, making these connections clearer and more transparent than in traditional phrase structure approaches. The significance of dependency grammar lies in its simplicity and clarity in representing linguistic dependencies.
The Evolution of Language Formalisms: Lexical Copying vs. Movement Theories
Another key point discussed relates to the evolution of language formalisms, contrasting the lexical copying theory with the movement theory. While movement theory, championed by Noam Chomsky, suggests that words can shift within a sentence to generate different structures, the lexical copying approach proposes duplicating lexical entries to create variations in sentence forms without physical movement. This distinction influences how languages are learned and understood, with lexical copying offering a more straightforward and learnable alternative to explaining sentence transformations.
The Focus on Dependency Grammar in Analyzing Language Structure
Dependency grammar and phrase structure grammar can be mapped back and forth, emphasizing a focus on the relationship between words in language. While some phrase structure grammars may not align perfectly with dependency grammars, the latter provides a clearer structure for understanding the mathematical distance between word dependencies, enhancing cognitive processing of sentences.
Separating Language Comprehension from Thinking Abilities
Studies have shown that individuals with specific brain damage affecting their language network can still successfully perform various cognitive tasks, such as solving math problems or driving, despite difficulties in language comprehension and expression. This separation between language functions and overall thinking abilities challenges the assumption that language is essential for all forms of cognition.
Limitations of Large Language Models in Understanding Meaning
Large language models excel in predicting and generating accurate linguistic forms but are often unable to comprehend deeper meanings or contexts. Instances like the Monty Hall problem reveal the models' reliance on surface patterns rather than true comprehension of underlying concepts. While they mimic language effectively, they lack genuine understanding, pointing to the importance of meaning beyond form in linguistic analysis.
Understanding Language Models and Human Language Similarities
Large language models and humans exhibit similarities in processing nested structures like center embeddings, but struggle with assigning meaning. While language models excel in mimicking true statements based on training, they often falter in grasping meanings behind complex questions. Despite impeccable form, language models show limitations in processing meanings, raising questions on the depth of their understanding.
Analyzing Legal Language Complexity and Center Embeddings
Legal language, known as legalese, presents challenges due to its high prevalence of center embeddings and low-frequency words. Evaluations on legal texts reveal excessive center embeddings impede understanding and recall significantly. Lawyers, despite familiarity, still struggle with complex legal language features, leading to calls for simplification. Addressing the centrality of embeddings in legal texts could enhance clarity and comprehension for both legal professionals and laypersons.
Language Acquisition and Innateness
The discussion delves into the nature of language acquisition and innateness. The speaker challenges the concept of innate language structures and emphasizes the role of learning in understanding human language. They highlight the possibility of learning the forms of human language from input data without the need for innate structures, citing the success of large language models in language learning tasks.
Cultural Influence on Language and Translation Challenges
The conversation explores the impact of culture on language and the challenges in translation. Reference is made to diverse languages like the isolate languages of Chumani and Pia dejá, emphasizing cultural significance in language evolution. The speaker discusses the difficulties in translating concepts like exact counting between languages with different linguistic capabilities, showcasing the nuances and complexities of cross-cultural communication.
OUTLINE:
Here’s the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time.
(00:00) – Introduction
(10:53) – Human language
(14:59) – Generalizations in language
(20:46) – Dependency grammar
(30:45) – Morphology
(39:20) – Evolution of languages
(42:40) – Noam Chomsky
(1:26:46) – Thinking and language
(1:40:16) – LLMs
(1:53:14) – Center embedding
(2:19:42) – Learning a new language
(2:23:34) – Nature vs nurture
(2:30:10) – Culture and language
(2:44:38) – Universal language
(2:49:01) – Language translation
(2:52:16) – Animal communication
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