Experimental Semiotics Bruno Galantucci 1,2 *, Simon Garrod 3,4 and Gareth Roberts 1 1 Yeshiva University, 2 Haskins Laboratories, 3 University of Glasgow and 4 University of Western Australia Abstract In the last few years, researchers have begun to study novel human communication systems in the laboratory (Experimental Semiotics, ES). The first goal of this article is to provide a primer to ES, which we will do by reviewing the experimental paradigms developed by experimental semioti- cians, as well as the main research themes that have emerged in the discipline. A second goal is to illustrate what implications ES has for linguistics. In particular, we will argue that ES has the potential to complement linguistics in important ways and illustrate such potential in the context of each of the themes we review. ‘‘It is therefore possible to conceive of a science which studies the role of signs as part of social life. It would form part of social psychology, and hence of general psychology. We shall call it semiology (from the Greek semeı ˆon, ‘sign’). It would investigate the nature of signs and the laws governing them. Since it does not yet exist, one cannot say for certain that it will exist. But it has a right to exist, a place ready for it in advance. Linguistics is only one branch of this general science. The laws which semiology will discover will be laws applicable in linguistics, and linguistics will thus be assigned to a clearly defined place in the field of human knowledge.’’ (de Saussure 1916 ⁄ 1998: 15-16, italics in the original). ‘‘If one wishes to discover the true nature of language systems, one must first consider what they have in common with all other systems of the same kind. Linguistic factors which at first seem central (for example, the workings of the vocal apparatus) must be relegated to a place of secondary importance if it is found that they merely differentiate languages from other such systems. In this way, light will be thrown not only upon the linguistic problem.’’ (de Saussure 1916 ⁄ 1998: 17). 1. Experimental Semiotics and its broad implications for linguistics In the last few years, a science has emerged that is very much in the spirit of that envisioned by de Saussure in the first quote above. Researchers who are developing this science, which has been labeled Experimental Semiotics (Galantucci 2009; Galantucci and Garrod 2011), conduct controlled studies in which human adults develop novel commu- nication systems (e.g., de Ruiter et al. 2010; Galantucci 2005; Garrod et al. 2007; Healey et al. 2007; Scott-Phillips et al. 2009) or impose novel structure on systems provided to them (Kirby et al. 2008; Roberts 2010; Selten and Warglien 2007). This article has two main goals. The first is that of providing a primer to Experimental Semiotics (henceforth ES). In particular, we review the experimental paradigms devel- oped by experimental semioticians as well as the main research themes which have emerged in ES. The second goal is that of illustrating the implications ES has for linguis- tics. In the remaining part of this introduction we illustrate the broadest of such implica- tions. Other implications will be illustrated in connection with the themes we review. L N C 3 3 5 1 B Dispatch: 15.5.12 No. of pages: 17 CE: Vidhya Journal Name Manuscript No. Toc head: CSL PE: Sharanya Language and Linguistics Compass (2012): 1–17, 10.1002/lnc3.351 ª 2012 The Authors Language and Linguistics Compass ª 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49