Language Evolution and Computation Bibliography

We examine the social prerequisites for symbolic communication by studying a language game embedded within a signaling game, in which cooperation is possible but unenforced. Despite incentives to cheat, and even with persistent cheating, the lateral inhibition dynamics commonly used in language game models remain resilient, as long as sufficient mechanisms are in place to detect deceit. However, unfairly antagonistic strategies can undermine lexical convergence. Symbolic communication, and hence human language, requires a delicate balance between restrained deception and revocable trust, but unconditional cooperation is unnecessary.