Linguistics and English Language Seminar: The Optimal Assignment Principle
| Dates: | 5 February 2026 |
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| Times: | 13:00 - 15:00 |
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| What is it: | Seminar |
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| Organiser: | School of Arts, Languages and Cultures |
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| Who is it for: | University staff, External researchers, Adults, Alumni, Current University students, General public |
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Ramon Ferrer-i-Cancho, Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya
Quantitative, Mathematical and Computational Linguistics Research Group
The idea that languages are shaped by a constellation optimization principles is receiving increasing attention. However, some skepticism remains due to unrealistic assumptions or the apparent lack of precision or depth of the predictions being made. Here I will present a general principle of optimal assignment that unifies various linguistic principles: the principle of compression and two principles of word order, i.e. the principle of dependency distance minimization and the principle of swap distance minimization. I will review the realism of their assumptions as well as the generality and precision of their predictions.
I will focus on the order of subject, object and verb, which has 6 possible orders. I will show how the principle of swap distance minimization predicts, with high precision, how the frequency or the acceptability of orders is distributed on the 6 possible permutations in specific conditions, e.g., unconventional gesturing and word order acceptability experiments.
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Blended Th1 (GA.056)
Nancy Rothwell Building
Booth Street East
Manchester
