Abstract
Abstract Lexical ambiguity is present in many natural languages, but ambiguous words and phrases do not seem to be advantageous. Therefore, the presence of ambiguous words in natural language warrants explanation. We justify the existence of ambiguity from the perspective of context dependence. The main contribution of the paper is that we constructed a context learning process such that each interlocutor can infer their opponent’s private belief from the conversation. A sufficient condition for successful learning is provided. Furthermore, for cases in which learning fails, we investigate how the interlocutors choose among degrees of ambiguous expressions through an adaptive learning process. Lastly, we apply our model in the lattice network, demonstrating that structural evolution favours ambiguity as well.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.