Work Smarter...Not Harder: Efficient Minimization of Dependency Length in SOV Languages

arXiv:2404.18684v1 Announce Type: new
Abstract: Dependency length minimization is a universally observed quantitative property of natural languages. However, the extent of dependency length minimization, and the cognitive mechanisms through which the language processor achieves this minimization remain unclear. This research offers mechanistic insights by postulating that moving a short preverbal constituent next to the main verb explains preverbal constituent ordering decisions better than global minimization of dependency length in SOV languages. This approach constitutes a least-effort strategy because it's just …

abstract arxiv cognitive cs.cl econ.th however insights language languages math.oc moving natural processor property quantitative research through type work