Semantic Generalisation and the Inference of Meaning

Abstract. In this paper, a computational model of a successful negotiated communication system is presented, in which language agents develop their own meanings in response to their environment and attempt to infer the meanings of others’ utterances. The inherent uncertainty in the process of meaning inference in the system leads to variation in the agents’ internal semantic representations, which then itself drives language change in the form of semantic generalisation.

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2003
• Where: ECAL
• Authors: Andrew D. M. Smith
• Keywords: ECAL 2003, Internal Semantic Representations, Language Agents, Successful Negotiated Communication