#426 – Edward Gibson: Human Language, Psycholinguistics, Syntax, Grammar & LLMs
Lex Fridman Podcast
Evolution of Language through Functional Communication
The evolution of language demonstrates how words are created to serve functions, such as differentiating between identical items based on color. In industrialized societies, colors are arbitrary and important for communication, while non-industrialized groups do not place similar emphasis on color. Language evolves based on the needs of early tribes to efficiently communicate solutions to problems, whether aesthetic or functional. However, the lack of data on the evolution of many languages hinders a comprehensive understanding of language development, as only a small subset of languages have writing systems, which may not be modern.
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