Center for Cognitive Science
Colloquium
RONAN REILLY
Deparment of Computer Science
University University College Dublin
Ireland
mailto:Ronan.Reilly@ucd.ie
"Evolution of Symbolisation: Signposts to a Bridge Between
Connections and Symbols"
Wednesday, December 8, 1999
2:00 - 3:30 p.m.
280 Park Hall
North Campus
If one doesn't subscribe to the theory of the serendipitous emergence of
language in our ancestors several hundred thousands of years ago, one is
faced with a conundrum. If language has been the subject of evolution, what
were its intermediate stages, what foundation was it constructed upon? This
problem has recently been very thoroughly analysed by Terrence Deacon (1997)
in his book "The Symbolic Species". Deacon argues for an evolutionary path
in the development of the relationship between sign and signified from an
iconic relationship, through a process of temporal and spatial
indexicalisation, to an arbitrary and culturally licensed symbolic ones.
This talk will explore the possibility that symbolic systems can be
developed upon a non-symbolic substrate, but in such a way that the symbolic
system reflects the contours of the underlying borrowing. A case will be
made that the ontogenic development of our symbolic capabilities
recapitulates their evolutionary trajectory. Some support for this position
is provided by a computational model. The implications that this
perspective has for connectionist NLP systems will be explored.
Refreshments will be served.
All interested faculty, graduate and undergrads are invited to attend.