Information Theory in Language

Catalog description

Information theory is used to study the abstract properties of communication systems. Can it improve our ability to understand language? We will examine how the need to communicate predicts several linguistic phenomena. We will discuss information theoretic effects on multiple levels of linguistic analysis, including phonetics, phonology, and syntax. We will contrast concepts such as frequency, predictability, informativity, and functional load, and see how they can each apply to existing linguistic questions.