How words acquire their meaning

The discrete properties of words (how they are combined) and continuous properties (how they are pronounced) can convey meaning in great detail, as demonstrated by the slight differences in meaning that different pronunciations of this sentence convey. Lieck et al 2021 - Researchers in EPFL's College of Humanities have used machine learning to reveal how humans bridge the often-significant gaps between signal and meaning in communication. Robert Lieck and Martin Rohrmeier of the Digital and Cognitive Musicology Laboratory (DCML) used machine learning and artificial intelligence to explore the alignments and misalignments between signals - such as words and gestures - and meaning in communication. Their findings have recently been published in Cognition , a renowned journal of cognitive science. Lieck, a postdoctoral researcher and lead author on the paper, explains that the DCML's research addresses a fundamental conundrum of communication and the evolution of meaning in language. "The problem is that words are rigid and can only ever point to a single idea, whereas feelings, colors, etc. are continuous and gradual in nature.