Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin: The Evolution of Meaning

Workshop 2015/2016

The Evolution of Meaning

25.–26. Januar 2016

In most theories of the evolution of language, the focus has been on the evolution of linguistic form. But before there are words, there must be meanings to communicate. Thus quetions concerning conceptualization, in particular how it could become more complex in coevolution of language and how concepts can be shared, are equally important. The workshop will deal with themes related to the evolution of semantics, the relations between language and culture, and the relation between linguistic meaning and other forms of meaning, for example music. Also problems related to how meanings develop in children and how the evolution of meaning can be modelled and simulated in artificial systems will be discussed.