Using a Language Model to Unravel Semantic Development in Children’s Use of a Dutch Perception Verb

Bram van Dijk; Max van Duijn; Li Kloostra; Marco Spruit; Barend Beekhuizen

Using a Language Model to Unravel Semantic Development in Children’s Use of a Dutch Perception Verb

Bram van Dijk^*
, Max van Duijn
, Li Kloostra
, Marco Spruit
, Barend Beekhuizen

^*Corresponding author for this work

ILS - Language, logic and information

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution › Academic › peer-review

Abstract

We employ a Language Model (LM) to gain insight into how complex semantics of Dutch Perception Verb (PV) zien (‘to see’) emerge in children. Using a Dutch LM as representation of mature language use, we find that for ages 4-12y 1) the LM accurately predicts PV use in children’s freely-told narratives; 2) children’s PV use is close to mature use; and 3) complex PV meanings with attentional and cognitive aspects can be found. Our approach illustrates how LMs can be meaningfully employed in studying language development, hence takes a constructive position in the debate on the relevance of LMs in this context.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	Proceedings of the Workshop on Cognitive Aspects of the Lexicon @ LREC-COLING 2024
Editors	Michael Zock, Emmanuele Chersoni, Yu-Yin Hsu, Simon De Deyne
Publisher	European Language Resources Association (ELRA)
Pages	98-106
Number of pages	9
ISBN (Electronic)	9782493814456
ISBN (Print)	9782493814456
Publication status	Published - 2024
Event	8th Workshop on Cognitive Aspects of the Lexicon, CogALex 2024 - Torino, Italy Duration: 20 May 2024 → …

Conference

Conference	8th Workshop on Cognitive Aspects of the Lexicon, CogALex 2024
Country/Territory	Italy
City	Torino
Period	20/05/24 → …

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 ELRA Language Resource Association.

Keywords

computational modelling
language development
language models
pragmatics
semantics

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2024.cogalex-1.11Final published version, 333 KBLicence: CC BY

https://aclanthology.org/2024.cogalex-1.11Licence: CC BY

Cite this

van Dijk, B., van Duijn, M., Kloostra, L., Spruit, M., & Beekhuizen, B. (2024). Using a Language Model to Unravel Semantic Development in Children’s Use of a Dutch Perception Verb. In M. Zock, E. Chersoni, Y.-Y. Hsu, & S. De Deyne (Eds.), Proceedings of the Workshop on Cognitive Aspects of the Lexicon @ LREC-COLING 2024 (pp. 98-106). European Language Resources Association (ELRA). https://aclanthology.org/2024.cogalex-1.11

van Dijk, Bram ; van Duijn, Max ; Kloostra, Li et al. / Using a Language Model to Unravel Semantic Development in Children’s Use of a Dutch Perception Verb. Proceedings of the Workshop on Cognitive Aspects of the Lexicon @ LREC-COLING 2024. editor / Michael Zock ; Emmanuele Chersoni ; Yu-Yin Hsu ; Simon De Deyne. European Language Resources Association (ELRA), 2024. pp. 98-106

@inproceedings{9036c4372cd14c56bf58f5731bb5b8ac,

title = "Using a Language Model to Unravel Semantic Development in Children{\textquoteright}s Use of a Dutch Perception Verb",

abstract = "We employ a Language Model (LM) to gain insight into how complex semantics of Dutch Perception Verb (PV) zien ({\textquoteleft}to see{\textquoteright}) emerge in children. Using a Dutch LM as representation of mature language use, we find that for ages 4-12y 1) the LM accurately predicts PV use in children{\textquoteright}s freely-told narratives; 2) children{\textquoteright}s PV use is close to mature use; and 3) complex PV meanings with attentional and cognitive aspects can be found. Our approach illustrates how LMs can be meaningfully employed in studying language development, hence takes a constructive position in the debate on the relevance of LMs in this context.",

keywords = "computational modelling, language development, language models, pragmatics, semantics",

author = "\{van Dijk\}, Bram and \{van Duijn\}, Max and Li Kloostra and Marco Spruit and Barend Beekhuizen",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2024 ELRA Language Resource Association.; 8th Workshop on Cognitive Aspects of the Lexicon, CogALex 2024 ; Conference date: 20-05-2024",

year = "2024",

language = "English",

isbn = "9782493814456",

pages = "98--106",

editor = "Michael Zock and Emmanuele Chersoni and Yu-Yin Hsu and \{De Deyne\}, Simon",

booktitle = "Proceedings of the Workshop on Cognitive Aspects of the Lexicon @ LREC-COLING 2024",

publisher = "European Language Resources Association (ELRA)",

}

van Dijk, B, van Duijn, M, Kloostra, L, Spruit, M & Beekhuizen, B 2024, Using a Language Model to Unravel Semantic Development in Children’s Use of a Dutch Perception Verb. in M Zock, E Chersoni, Y-Y Hsu & S De Deyne (eds), Proceedings of the Workshop on Cognitive Aspects of the Lexicon @ LREC-COLING 2024. European Language Resources Association (ELRA), pp. 98-106, 8th Workshop on Cognitive Aspects of the Lexicon, CogALex 2024, Torino, Italy, 20/05/24. <https://aclanthology.org/2024.cogalex-1.11>

Using a Language Model to Unravel Semantic Development in Children’s Use of a Dutch Perception Verb. / van Dijk, Bram; van Duijn, Max; Kloostra, Li et al.
Proceedings of the Workshop on Cognitive Aspects of the Lexicon @ LREC-COLING 2024. ed. / Michael Zock; Emmanuele Chersoni; Yu-Yin Hsu; Simon De Deyne. European Language Resources Association (ELRA), 2024. p. 98-106.

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution › Academic › peer-review

TY - GEN

T1 - Using a Language Model to Unravel Semantic Development in Children’s Use of a Dutch Perception Verb

AU - van Dijk, Bram

AU - van Duijn, Max

AU - Kloostra, Li

AU - Spruit, Marco

AU - Beekhuizen, Barend

PY - 2024

Y1 - 2024

N2 - We employ a Language Model (LM) to gain insight into how complex semantics of Dutch Perception Verb (PV) zien (‘to see’) emerge in children. Using a Dutch LM as representation of mature language use, we find that for ages 4-12y 1) the LM accurately predicts PV use in children’s freely-told narratives; 2) children’s PV use is close to mature use; and 3) complex PV meanings with attentional and cognitive aspects can be found. Our approach illustrates how LMs can be meaningfully employed in studying language development, hence takes a constructive position in the debate on the relevance of LMs in this context.

AB - We employ a Language Model (LM) to gain insight into how complex semantics of Dutch Perception Verb (PV) zien (‘to see’) emerge in children. Using a Dutch LM as representation of mature language use, we find that for ages 4-12y 1) the LM accurately predicts PV use in children’s freely-told narratives; 2) children’s PV use is close to mature use; and 3) complex PV meanings with attentional and cognitive aspects can be found. Our approach illustrates how LMs can be meaningfully employed in studying language development, hence takes a constructive position in the debate on the relevance of LMs in this context.

KW - computational modelling

KW - language development

KW - language models

KW - pragmatics

KW - semantics

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85195164983

M3 - Conference contribution

AN - SCOPUS:85195164983

SN - 9782493814456

SP - 98

EP - 106

BT - Proceedings of the Workshop on Cognitive Aspects of the Lexicon @ LREC-COLING 2024

A2 - Zock, Michael

A2 - Chersoni, Emmanuele

A2 - Hsu, Yu-Yin

A2 - De Deyne, Simon

PB - European Language Resources Association (ELRA)

T2 - 8th Workshop on Cognitive Aspects of the Lexicon, CogALex 2024

Y2 - 20 May 2024

ER -

Using a Language Model to Unravel Semantic Development in Children’s Use of a Dutch Perception Verb

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Keywords

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