Joshua B. Plotkin^* and Martin A. Nowak

Institute for Advanced Study, Olden Lane, Princeton, NJ 08540, USA
E-mail: [email protected], [email protected]

^* The authors gratefully acknowledge support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, The Ambrose Monell Foundation, The Florence Gould Foundation, and the J. Seward Johnson Trust. J.B.P. also acknowledges support from the National Science Foundation and the Burroughs Wellcome Fund.

Received: 26 June 2001 / Accepted: 1 October 2001 / Published 10 October 2001

Abstract: Language is the most important evolutionary invention of the last few million years. How human language evolved from animal communication is a  challenging question for evolutionary biology. In this paper we use mathematical models to analyze the major transitions in language evolution. We begin by discussing the evolution of coordinated associations between signals and objects in a population.  We then analyze word-formation and its relationship to  Shannon's noisy coding theorem. Finally, we model the population dynamics of words and the adaptive emergence of syntax.

Keywords: language evolution; evolutionary game theory; Shannon's noisy coding theorem; phoneme.