Alexander Kilpatrick
@alexkilpatrick.bsky.social
I do cool stuff with maths and language.
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3134-3797
Associate Professor
University of Aizu
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3134-3797
Associate Professor
University of Aizu
Pinned
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....
doi.org
🔍 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
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
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.
October 27, 2025 at 9:31 PM
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.
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
youtu.be/MmwaKjoUpy8
Information Theory: The Attentional Optimization Hypothesis
YouTube video by alex kilpatrick
youtu.be
July 25, 2025 at 1:07 AM
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
youtu.be/MmwaKjoUpy8
🔍 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
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
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....
doi.org
April 29, 2025 at 10:11 PM
🔍 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
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
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/...
www.researchgate.net/publication/...
(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...
www.researchgate.net
March 1, 2025 at 8:20 AM
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/...
www.researchgate.net/publication/...
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...
pubs.aip.org/asa/jel/arti...
pubs.aip.org
February 21, 2025 at 12:02 AM
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...
pubs.aip.org/asa/jel/arti...
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?...
Alexander Kilpatrick and Maria Flaksman.
youtu.be/mX-oErhmIKQ?...
1st Workshop on Computational Humor-Kilpatrick & Flaksman
YouTube video by alex kilpatrick
youtu.be
January 18, 2025 at 10:10 AM
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?...
Alexander Kilpatrick and Maria Flaksman.
youtu.be/mX-oErhmIKQ?...
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/...
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/...
(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...
www.researchgate.net
December 14, 2024 at 10:05 PM
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/...
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/...
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...
www.peterlang.com/document/136...
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 ...
www.peterlang.com
November 30, 2024 at 3:22 AM
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...
www.peterlang.com/document/136...
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/...
(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...
www.researchgate.net
November 18, 2024 at 9:43 PM
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/...