?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Adc&rft.title=Constrained+Emergence+of+Universals+and+Variation+in+Syllable+Systems&rft.creator=Redford%2C+Melissa+A.&rft.creator=Chen%2C+Chun+Chi&rft.creator=Miikkulainen%2C+Risto&rft.subject=Phonology&rft.subject=Psycholinguistics&rft.description=A+computational+model+of+emergent+syllable+systems+is+developed+based+on+a+set+of+functional+constraints+on+syllable+systems+and+the+assumption+that+language+structure+emerges+through+cumulative+change+over+time.+The+constraints+were+derived+from+general+communicative+factors+as+well+as+from+the+phonetic+principles+of+perceptual+distinctiveness+and+articulatory+ease.+Through+evolutionary+optimization%2C+the+model+generated+mock+vocabularies+optimized+for+the+given+constraints.+Several+simulations+were+run+to+understand+how+these+constraints+might+define+the+emergence+of+universals+and+variation+in+complex+sound+systems.+The+predictions+were+that+(1)+CV+syllables+would+be+highly+frequent+in+all+vocabularies+evolved+under+the+constraints%3B+(2)+syllables+with+consonant+clusters%2C+consonant+codas+and+vowel+onsets+would+occur+much+less+frequently%3B+(3)+a+relationship+would+exist+between+the+number+of+syllable+types+in+a+vocabulary+and+the+average+word+length+in+the+vocabulary%3B+(4)+different+syllable+types+would+emerge+according+to%2C+what+we+termed%2C+an+%3CEM+iterative+principle+of+syllable+structure%3E+and+their+frequency+would+be+directly+related+to+their+complexity%3B+and+(5)+categorical+differences+would+emerge+between+vocabularies+evolved+under+the+same+constraints.+Simulation+results+confirmed+these+predictions+and+provided+novel+insights+into+why+regularities+and+differences+may+occur+across+languages.+Specifically%2C+the+model+suggested+that+both+language+universals+and+variation+are+consistent+with+a+set+of+functional+constraints+that+are+fixed+relative+to+one+another.+Language+universals+reflect+underlying+constraints+on+the+system+and+language+variation+represents+the+many+different+and+equally-good+solutions+to+the+unique+problem+defined+by+these+constraints.+&rft.publisher=Kingston+Press&rft.contributor=Bunnell%2C+Timothy&rft.contributor=Vogel%2C+Irene&rft.date=2001-01&rft.type=Journal+(Paginated)&rft.type=PeerReviewed&rft.format=application%2Fpostscript&rft.identifier=http%3A%2F%2Fcogprints.org%2F2143%2F1%2Fredford.lgsp.ps&rft.format=application%2Fpdf&rft.identifier=http%3A%2F%2Fcogprints.org%2F2143%2F5%2Fredford.lgsp.pdf&rft.identifier=++Redford%2C+Melissa+A.+and+Chen%2C+Chun+Chi+and+Miikkulainen%2C+Risto++(2001)+Constrained+Emergence+of+Universals+and+Variation+in+Syllable+Systems.++%5BJournal+(Paginated)%5D+++++&rft.relation=http%3A%2F%2Fcogprints.org%2F2143%2F