Edward Gibson

And there's another, it's a little more rigid, his control. So... The way I described it, you could have crossed dependencies. By scrambling that way, you could scramble in any way at all. Languages don't do that. They tend not to cross dependencies very much. So the dependency structure, they tend to keep things non-crossed.

There's a technical term they call that, projective, but it's just non-crossed is all that is, projective. And so if you just constrain the scrambling so that it only gives you projective sort of non-crossed, the same thing holds. So still human languages are much shorter than this kind of a control. So there's like, what it means is that there...

There's a technical term they call that, projective, but it's just non-crossed is all that is, projective. And so if you just constrain the scrambling so that it only gives you projective sort of non-crossed, the same thing holds. So still human languages are much shorter than this kind of a control. So there's like, what it means is that there...

There's a technical term they call that, projective, but it's just non-crossed is all that is, projective. And so if you just constrain the scrambling so that it only gives you projective sort of non-crossed, the same thing holds. So still human languages are much shorter than this kind of a control. So there's like, what it means is that there...

In every language, we're trying to put things close relative to this kind of a control. It doesn't matter about the word order. Some of these are verb final. Some of them use a verb medial like English. And some are even verb initial. There are a few languages in the world which have VSO, word order, verb, subject, object languages. I haven't talked about those.

In every language, we're trying to put things close relative to this kind of a control. It doesn't matter about the word order. Some of these are verb final. Some of them use a verb medial like English. And some are even verb initial. There are a few languages in the world which have VSO, word order, verb, subject, object languages. I haven't talked about those.

In every language, we're trying to put things close relative to this kind of a control. It doesn't matter about the word order. Some of these are verb final. Some of them use a verb medial like English. And some are even verb initial. There are a few languages in the world which have VSO, word order, verb, subject, object languages. I haven't talked about those.

That's right. So, I mean, the story here is just about communication. It is just about production, really. It's about ease of production is the story.

That's right. So, I mean, the story here is just about communication. It is just about production, really. It's about ease of production is the story.

That's right. So, I mean, the story here is just about communication. It is just about production, really. It's about ease of production is the story.

It's easier for me to say things when the... What I'm doing whenever I'm talking to you is somehow I'm formulating some idea in my head and I'm putting these words together. And it's easier for me to do that to say something where the words are closely connected in a dependency as opposed to separated by putting something in between and over and over again.

It's easier for me to say things when the... What I'm doing whenever I'm talking to you is somehow I'm formulating some idea in my head and I'm putting these words together. And it's easier for me to do that to say something where the words are closely connected in a dependency as opposed to separated by putting something in between and over and over again.

It's easier for me to say things when the... What I'm doing whenever I'm talking to you is somehow I'm formulating some idea in my head and I'm putting these words together. And it's easier for me to do that to say something where the words are closely connected in a dependency as opposed to separated by putting something in between and over and over again.

It's just hard for me to keep that in my head. That's the whole story. The story is basically the dependency grammar sort of gives that to you Like just like long is bad, short is good. It's like easier to keep in mind because you have to keep it in mind for, probably for production, probably matters in comprehension as well. Like also matters in comprehension.

It's just hard for me to keep that in my head. That's the whole story. The story is basically the dependency grammar sort of gives that to you Like just like long is bad, short is good. It's like easier to keep in mind because you have to keep it in mind for, probably for production, probably matters in comprehension as well. Like also matters in comprehension.

It's just hard for me to keep that in my head. That's the whole story. The story is basically the dependency grammar sort of gives that to you Like just like long is bad, short is good. It's like easier to keep in mind because you have to keep it in mind for, probably for production, probably matters in comprehension as well. Like also matters in comprehension.

But I would guess it's probably evolved for production. It's about producing. It's what's easier for me to say that ends up being easier for you also. That's very hard to disentangle. This idea of who is it for? Is it for me, the speaker? Or is it for you, the listener? I mean, part of my language is for you. Like the way I talk to you is going to be different from how I talk to different people.

But I would guess it's probably evolved for production. It's about producing. It's what's easier for me to say that ends up being easier for you also. That's very hard to disentangle. This idea of who is it for? Is it for me, the speaker? Or is it for you, the listener? I mean, part of my language is for you. Like the way I talk to you is going to be different from how I talk to different people.

But I would guess it's probably evolved for production. It's about producing. It's what's easier for me to say that ends up being easier for you also. That's very hard to disentangle. This idea of who is it for? Is it for me, the speaker? Or is it for you, the listener? I mean, part of my language is for you. Like the way I talk to you is going to be different from how I talk to different people.

I'm definitely angling what I'm saying to who I'm saying, right? It's not like I'm just talking the same way to every single person. And so I am sensitive to my audience. But does that work itself out in the dependency length differences? I don't know. Maybe that's about just the words, that part, you know, which words I select.