Dr Andrew Smith

Lecturer - Language Studies

English Studies University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9 4LA

Dr Andrew Smith

Contact details

About me

I'm co-director of the Masters course in English Language and Linguistics, which provides a wide-ranging and extensive programme centered on the English language, covering both theoretical approaches to linguistics and their application in a broader context. I also teach undergraduate courses on Foundations of Language, Language and the Brain, Language and Society, and the History of the English Language.

I study the cognitive and cultural foundations of language, to investigate how language originated and became complex. My areas of research interest include grammaticalisation, the evolution of language, the cognitive origins of linguistic complexity, (socio-)cognitive linguistics and cultural evolution.

You can follow me on bluesky: Follow @AndrewDMSmith.bsky.social

My research explores the historical development and ongoing evolution of language through investigating the socio-pragmatic, cognitive and cultural foundations of linguistic communication. Key to my approach is the acknowledgment that language is: inherently inferential, in that meaning is reconstructed by hearers, not transmitted directly from speakers; a flexible set of negotiated cultural conventions, so the way in which language is acquired and used impacts on its structure.

I'm interested in a number of fundamental questions such as the motivations and mechanisms of language change and evolution; the nature of grammaticalisation and the emergence of complexity in language; the relationship between learning, regularisation and systematicity; the way in which learners work out the meanings of unfamiliar words through processes such as cross-situational learning.

Award

Most Inspiring Lecturer: RATE Teaching Awards 2012
University of Stirling

External Examiners and Validations

External Examiner
University of Edinburgh

I am External Examiner for the MSc Evolution of Language and Cognition programme at the University of Edinburgh

Research projects (2)

From Social Interaction to Symbols and Grammar: a unified model of language evolution and language change
PI: Dr Andrew Smith
Funded by: The Royal Society of Edinburgh
–

Cross-Situational Learning in Children
PI: Dr Andrew Smith
Funded by: The British Academy
–

Outputs (35)

Book Chapter

Grammaticalisation

Smith A (2026) Grammaticalisation. In: A New Cambridge History of the English Language. Vol II: Documentation, data sources, and modelling. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 744-767. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009205443

Book Chapter

Grammaticalization Theory

Smith ADM (2017) Grammaticalization Theory. In: Shackelford T & Weekes-Shackelford V (eds.) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Cham: Springer, pp. 1-8. http://link.springer.com/referencework/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6; https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_3327-1

Commentary

Language Boundaries Driven By Surface Tension

Smith ADM (2017) Language Boundaries Driven By Surface Tension. Commentary on: J. Burridge, "Spatial Evolution of Human Dialects," Phys. Rev. X 7, 031008 (2017). Physics - Spotlighting Exceptional Research, 10, Art. No.: 80. https://physics.aps.org/articles/v10/80; https://doi.org/10.1103/Physics.10.80

Book Chapter

The pivotal role of metaphor in the evolution of human language

Smith ADM & Höfler S (2015) The pivotal role of metaphor in the evolution of human language. In: Díaz-Vera J (ed.) Metaphor and Metonymy Across Time and Cultures: perspectives on the sociohistorical linguistics of figurative language. Cognitive Linguitics Research, 52. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, pp. 123-140. http://www.degruyter.com/view/product/211440

Edited Book

New Directions in Grammaticalization Research

Smith ADM, Trousdale G & Waltereit R (eds.) (2015) New Directions in Grammaticalization Research. Studies in Language Companion Series, 166. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. https://benjamins.com/#catalog/books/slcs.166/main

Book Chapter

Linguistic Replicators: a wild goose chase?

Smith ADM (2012) Linguistic Replicators: a wild goose chase?. In: Scott-Phillips T, Tamariz M, Cartmill E & Hurford J (eds.) The Evolution of Language. Singapore: World Scientifc, pp. 541-2.

Book Chapter

Cross-situational Learning

Smith ADM & Smith K (2012) Cross-situational Learning. In: Seel N (ed.) Encyclopedia of the Sciences of Learning. 2012 ed. New York: Springer p. 866.

Book Chapter

Grammaticalisation and Language Evolution

Smith ADM (2011) Grammaticalisation and Language Evolution. In: Narrog H & Heine B (eds.) The Oxford Handbook of Grammaticalization. Oxford: OUP p. 152. http://www.oup.com/us/catalog/general/subject/Linguistics/TheoreticalDescriptiveLinguistic/?view=usa&ci=9780199586783#Author_Information

Conference Paper (published)

Exploring the Nature of a Systematicity Bias: An Experimental Study

Smith ADM, Skarabela B & Tamariz M (2010) Exploring the Nature of a Systematicity Bias: An Experimental Study. In: Smith A, Schouwstra M, de Boer B & Smith K (eds.) The Evolution of Language: Proceedings of the 8th Interational Conference. London: World Scientific, pp. 289-296.

Edited Book

The Evolution of Language

Smith ADM, Schouwstra M, de Boer B & Smith K (eds.) (2010) The Evolution of Language [Evolang 8]. Singapore: World Scientific. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Evolution-Language-Proceedings-International-Conference/dp/9814295213/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1338378853&sr=1-1

Edited Book

A tale of the unknown unknowns: a Mesolithic pit alignment and a Neolithic timber hall at Warren Field, Crathes, Aberdeenshire

Murray H, Murray JC, Fraser S, Crone A, Davies A, Deacon C, Dolan B, Evershed RP, Hastie M, Higginbottom G, Lancaster S, Marshall P, McCulloch R, Meharg AA, Sheridan A, Smith A, Smith C, Soberl L, Timpany S, Tipping R, Warren G & Winterbottom SJ (eds.) (2009) A tale of the unknown unknowns: a Mesolithic pit alignment and a Neolithic timber hall at Warren Field, Crathes, Aberdeenshire. Oxford: Oxbow Books. http://www.oxbowbooks.com/oxbow/a-tale-of-the-unknown-unknowns.html

Book Chapter

Regularity in mappings between signals and meanings

Smith ADM & Tamariz M (2008) Regularity in mappings between signals and meanings. In: Smith A, Smith K & Ferrer iCR (eds.) The Evolution of Language. Singapore: World Scientific, pp. 315-22.

Edited Book

The Evolution of Language

Smith ADM, Smith K & Ferrer i Cancho R (eds.) (2008) The Evolution of Language [Evolang 7]. Singapore: World Scientific. http://www.amazon.co.uk/EVOLUTION-LANGUAGE-PROCEEDINGS-INTERNATIONAL-CONFERENCE/dp/9812776117/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1338378989&sr=1-1

Book Chapter

Language Change and the Inference of Meaning

Smith ADM (2007) Language Change and the Inference of Meaning. In: Lyon C, Nehaniv C & Cangelosi A (eds.) Emergence of Communication and Language. New York: Springer, pp. 323-37. http://www.springer.com/computer/ai/book/978-1-84628-491-5

Edited Book

The Evolution of Language

Cangelosi A, Smith ADM & Smith K (eds.) (2006) The Evolution of Language [Evolang 6]. Singapore: World Scientific. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Evolution-Language-Proceedings-International-Conference/dp/9812566562/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1338379059&sr=1-1

Book Chapter

Cross-situational learning: A mathematical approach

Smith K, Smith ADM, Blythe R & Vogt P (2006) Cross-situational learning: A mathematical approach. In: Vogt P, Sugita Y, Tuci E & Nehaniv (eds.) Symbol Grounding and Beyond: Third International Workshop on the Emergence and Evolution of Linguistic Communication, EELC 2006, Rome, Italy, September 30 – October 1, 2006. Proceedings. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 4211. Heidelberg: Springer, pp. 31-44. http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/11880172_3#; https://doi.org/10.1007/11880172_3

Book Chapter

Mutual Exclusivity: communicative success despite conceptual divergence

Smith ADM (2005) Mutual Exclusivity: communicative success despite conceptual divergence. In: Tallerman M (ed.) Language Origins: perspectives on evolution. Studies in the Evolution of Language, Volume 4. Oxford: OUP, pp. 372-88. http://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Language_Origins.html?id=CAF6haLB5K4C

Conference Paper (published)

Stable communication through dynamic language

Smith ADM (2005) Stable communication through dynamic language. In: AISB’05: Social Intelligence and Interaction in Animals, Robots and Agents: Proceedings of the 2nd International Symposium on the Emergence and Evolution of Linguistic Communication. Second International Symposium on the Emergence and Evolution of Linguistic Communication, Hatfield UK, 12.04.2005-15.04.2005. Hatfield, Hertfordshire UK: The Society for the Study of Artificial Intelligence and the Simulation of Behaviour, pp. 135-142. http://www.aisb.org.uk/publications/proceedings/aisb2005/1_EELC_Final.pdf

Commentary

Learning colour words is slow: A cross-situational learning account

Vogt P & Smith ADM (2005) Learning colour words is slow: A cross-situational learning account. Commentary on: L. Steels and T. Belpaeme, 'Coordinating perceptually grounded categories through language: A case study for colour', Behavioral and Brain Sciences (2005) 28, pp. 469–489. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 28 (4), pp. 509-510. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0140525X0544008X

Book Chapter

Establishing communication systems without explicit meaning transmission

Smith ADM (2001) Establishing communication systems without explicit meaning transmission. In: Kelemen J & Sosik P (eds.) Advances in Artificial Life: 6th European Conference, ECAL 2001, Prague, Czech Republic, September 10-14, 2001 Proceedings. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 4648. London: Springer-Verlag, pp. 381-390. http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=648817; https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-44811-X_41

Teaching

Teaching

ENG9UHL History of the English Language

LINP02 Language and Cognition

LINP06 Evolutionary Linguistics

LINPP01 Structures of Language

LINU911 Language and Society

LINU912 Foundations of Language

LINU9L3 Language and the Brain

Research programmes