Communicating with sentences: A multi-word naming game model

TL;DR

This paper introduces a multi-word naming game model that simulates how agents reach consensus on complex sentences, extending traditional single-word models to include sentence patterns and categories.

Contribution

It presents a novel multi-word naming game model incorporating sentence patterns and categories, validated across different network topologies.

Findings

Agents can reach consensus on complex sentences through pair-wise interactions.

The model works across various network topologies.

Both conventional and man-designed patterns are effective in the model.

Abstract

Naming game simulates the process of naming an object by a single word, in which a population of communicating agents can reach global consensus asymptotically through iteratively pair-wise conversations. We propose an extension of the single-word model to a multi-word naming game (MWNG), simulating the case of describing a complex object by a sentence (multiple words). Words are defined in categories, and then organized as sentences by combining them from different categories. We refer to a formatted combination of several words as a pattern. In such an MWNG, through a pair-wise conversation, it requires the hearer to achieve consensus with the speaker with respect to both every single word in the sentence as well as the sentence pattern, so as to guarantee the correct meaning of the saying, otherwise, they fail reaching consensus in the interaction. We validate the model in three typical topologies as the underlying communication network, and employ both conventional and man-designed patterns in performing the MWNG.