Alexander Kilpatrick

Say it like you mean it: Linguistic vividness and the attentional optimization hypothesis This study investigates whether phonemic Surprisal in English words is systematically elevated for semantically vivid meanings, extending prior resear…

Language isn’t optimized just for efficiency. This study shows that phonological surprisal systematically marks vivid meanings—slowing processing but strengthening memory. Surprisal isn’t noise; it’s how language directs attention.

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Some words affect us more than others. It boils down to how they sound Not all words are created equal – and those that sound more surprising are more likely to grab our attention and stick in our memory.

Following up from yesterday. Here is a link to a The Conversation article about my research: theconversation.com/some-words-a...

American English words that are specific, imaginable, or concrete tend to be made up of surprising phonological sequences. We propose the Attentional Optimization Hypothesis to explain this.

Say it like you mean it: www.sciencedirect.com/.../pii/S001...

Clarification: Summaries of my paper “What AI Might Teach Us About the Origin of Human Language” (arXiv:2301.06211) have appeared on ResearchBunny and in their promotional material. I was unaware of them until recently and I did not commission, fund, or collaborate on these posts.

YouTube video by alex kilpatrick Information Theory: The Attentional Optimization Hypothesis

I made this. It's about how, in at American English, words that are semantically vivid, tend to be made up of more unpredictable sequences of phonemes and explores the processing effects of this. The study is currently under review so it might be nonsense 😁.

youtu.be/MmwaKjoUpy8

Exploring the dynamics of Shannon’s information and iconicity in language processing and lexeme evolution This two-part meta-study explores the relationship of Shannon’s information and iconicity in American English, with a focus on their implications for cognitive processing and the evolution of lexemes....

🔍 What happens when the sounds in a word are unexpected?
Our new study explores how phonemic surprisal—the unpredictability of phonemes—shapes how we process, remember, and evolve words.
📄 Published in
@PLOSOne

🔗 doi.org/10.1371/jour...
#psycholinguistics #informationtheory

(PDF) Exploring the Dynamics of Shannon's Information and Iconicity in Language Processing and Lexeme Evolution PDF | This two-part meta-study explores the relationship of Shannon's information and iconicity in American English, with a focus on their implications... | Find, read and cite all the research you ne...

This study has been my obsession for two years. It uncovers a fascinating link between iconicity, Shannon’s information, and language processing. Now a preprint—successfully through first review round. Call me Ishmael.

www.researchgate.net/publication/...

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Obligatory publication post: American English words with negative valence carry more Shannon's information. Both increased information and negative valence are associated with higher accuracy in a memory recognition experiment.
pubs.aip.org/asa/jel/arti...

(PDF) The Negativity Bias is Encoded in Language PDF | This study investigates the relationship between emotional valence, phonemic bigram surprisal, and memory in American English. We hypothesize that... | Find, read and cite all the research you n...

Not total nonsense it turns out. The study is currently in press and I've uploaded the most recent preprint here in case you are interested: www.researchgate.net/publication/...

YouTube video by alex kilpatrick 1st Workshop on Computational Humor-Kilpatrick & Flaksman

I'm presenting at the first workshop on computational humor tomorrow. Here is my practice run for the study: "The Exception of Humor: Iconicity, Phonemic Surprisal, Memory Recall, and Emotional Associations"
Alexander Kilpatrick and Maria Flaksman.

youtu.be/mX-oErhmIKQ?...

(PDF) The exception of humour: Iconicity, Phonemic Surprisal, Memory Recall, and Emotional Associations PDF | This meta-study explores the relationships between humor, phonemic bigram surprisal, emotional valence, and memory recall. Prior research... | Find, read and cite all the research you need on Re...

Conference proceeding for the 1st workshop on computational humor.

The exception of humour: Words with negative associations are both more surprising and memorable; however, humorous words-which are stochastically positive-are also surprising and memorable.

www.researchgate.net/publication/...

Peter Lang Verlag - An Etymological Dictionary of English Imitative Words This Dictionary is the first etymological dictionary of English imitative (onomato-poeic, mimetic) words. Imitative words (e.g. crash, bang, achoo) are ...

Alongside being a serious academic document, Maria Flaksman's "An Etymological Dictionary of English Imitative Words" is a super entertaining read.

www.peterlang.com/document/136...

Thank you for saying so. However, I should note that it's still under peer review so it might be nonsense :)

(PDF) The Negativity Bias is Encoded in Language PDF | This study investigates the relationship between emotional valence, phonemic bigram surprisal, and memory in American English. We hypothesize that... | Find, read and cite all the research you n...

My latest research, "The Negativity Bias is Encoded in Language," shows that American English reinforces negative valence, making words with negative meanings more surprising and memorable. Read it here: www.researchgate.net/publication/...