Iterated Learning: A Framework for the Emergence of Language
Abstract
Language is culturally transmitted. Iterated learning, the process by which the output of one individual's learning becomes the input to other individuals' learning, provides a framework for investigating the cultural evolution of linguistic structure. We present two models, based upon the iterated learning framework, which show that the poverty of the stimulus available to language learners leads to the emergence of linguistic structure. Compositionality is language's adaptation to stimulus poverty.
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The iterated learning framework showed that cultural transmission alone can generate compositional linguistic structure.
“Similarly, the iterated learning framework (Smith et al., 2003; Kirby et al., 2008) showed that cultural transmission alone can generate compositional linguistic structure.”
From Social Reality Construction via Active Inference: Modeling the Dialectic of Conformity and Creativity (2026) · cites this paper as Smith et al., 2003
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Innateness and culture in the evolution of language
Kirby, S., Dowman, M., & Griffiths, T. L. (2007) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.0608222104 · Cited by 442 · see citing works
Self-citationIterated learning: Intergenerational knowledge transmission reveals inductive biases
Kalish, M. L., Griffiths, T. L., & Lewandowsky, S. (2007) · Psychonomic Bulletin & Review · doi:10.3758/bf03194066 · Cited by 220 · see citing works
Theoretical and empirical evidence for the impact of inductive biases on cultural evolution
Griffiths, T. L., Kalish, M. L., & Lewandowsky, S. (2008) · Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences · doi:10.1098/rstb.2008.0146 · Cited by 131 · see citing works
Evolution and impact of bias in human and machine learning algorithm interaction
Sun, W., Nasraoui, O., & Shafto, P. (2020) · PLOS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0235502 · Cited by 116 · see citing works
Nomura, K., & Horii, T. (2026) · ALIFE 2026: Proceedings of the 2026 Artificial Life Conference · doi:10.1162/isal.a.1009
Social Reality Construction via Active Inference: Modeling the Dialectic of Conformity and Creativity
Nomura, K., & Horii, T. (2026) · arXiv
“Similarly, the iterated learning framework (Smith et al., 2003; Kirby et al., 2008) showed that cultural transmission alone can generate compositional linguistic structure.”
- Authors
- Smith, K., Kirby, S., & Brighton, H.
- Affiliations
- University of Edinburgh (GB)
- Venue
- Artificial Life
- Publisher
- MIT Press - Journals
- Published
- 2003-10
- Volume
- 9
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 371-386
- ISSN
- 1064-5462 (ISSN-L)
- 1530-9185
- OpenAlex
- W2097988708
- Cited by
- 291
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 46 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 14 · 2019: 15 · 2018: 8 · 2017: 12 · 2016: 14 · 2015: 18 · 2014: 11 · 2013: 15 · 2012: 14
- FWCI
- 239.07
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Artificial Life (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Northumbria Research Link (Northumbria University) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Cultural Studies › Language and cultural evolution
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Language and Linguistics › Syntax, Semantics, Linguistic Variation
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Language Development and Disorders
- Keywords
- iterated learning, language emergence, cultural evolution of language, poverty of the stimulus, compositionality, language structure, cultural transmission, language acquisition
- MeSH terms
- Language, Learning, Neural Networks, Computer
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