Languages in space and time : models and methods from complex systems theory / Marco Patriarca, Els Heinsalu, Jean Leó Leonard.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Patriarca, Marco, author.

Heinsalu, Els, author.

Léonard, Jean-Léo, author.

Series:

Physics of society

Physics of society : Econophysics and Sociophysics

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Mathematical linguistics.

Computational linguistics.

Physical Description:

xix, 202 pages : illustrations, maps ; 25 cm.

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, United Kingdom ; New York, NY : Cambridge University Press, 2020.

Summary:

"This cross-disciplinary volume provides an overview of how complexity theory and the tools of statistical mechanics can be applied to linguistic problems to help reveal language groups, and to model the evolution and competition of languages in space and time. On the other hand, it aims to provide some new knowledge of linguistics to mathematicians/physicists. It demonstrates the complexity of linguistic databases and provides a mathematical toolkit for analyzing and extracting useful information from them. Various case studies show how mathematical analysis and modeling help conceptualize empirical facts better than what can be learned through a mere ethnographic view, while the interpretation of facts through sociolinguistics may promote mathematical modeling that predicts and represents reality more accurately. The book should contribute to building a bridge between linguists and mathematical modelers interested in linguistics"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Machine generated contents note: 1. Introduction

1.1. Introduction to Complexity

1.2. Aim of the Book

1.3. The Readership

1.4. Structure of the Book

pt. ONE REVEALING LANGUAGE GROUPS

2. Language and Languages

2.1. Language Evolution

2.2. Language Change

2.3. Mechanisms of Sound Change

2.4. Complex Networks

2.4.1. General considerations about complex networks

2.4.2. Features of a complex network

2.4.3. Types of complex networks

2.5. Trees vs. Networks

2.5.1. Epistemological Consequences: The Open Taxonomy Challenge

3. Comparison Based on String Metric

3.1. Levenshtein Distance

3.2. Normalized Levenshtein Distance

3.3. Levenshtein Distance for Language Comparison

3.4. Similarity Index

3.5. Case Study: The Mazatec Language

3.5.1. Mazatec: Introduction

3.5.2. Mazatec: A short overview

3.5.3. Levenshtein analysis of Mazatec dialects

3.5.4. Levenshtein distances for a restricted sample: Nouns

3.5.5. Minimum spanning tree

3.5.6. Dendrogram

3.5.7. Multidimensional scaling

3.6. Basque Regional Variation as a Case Study

3.6.1. Database and method

3.6.2. Morpho-(phono-)logical rules

3.6.3. Dialect network from the Levenshtein distances

3.6.4. Concluding remarks on the Basque analysis

3.7. Case Study: The Tseltal Diasystem

3.7.1. Subdivision of the Tseltal Dialects

3.7.2. Analysis of the Tseltal database: Morphology

3.7.3. Analysis of the Tseltal database: Phonology

3.7.4. Analysis of the Tseltal database: Lexical variation

3.7.5. Analysis of the Tseltal database: Comparison

4. Historical Glottometry

4.1. Background

4.2. Wave Theory

4.3. Case Study of Numic

4.3.1. The Numic spread hypothesis

4.3.2. The Numic database

4.3.3. Results from historical glottometry

4.3.4. Results from Levenshtein distances

4.3.5. Results from the nearest neighbor map

4.3.6. Results from the dendrogram

4.3.7. Minimum spanning tree

4.3.8. Multidimensional scaling

4.3.9. A short comparison

pt. TWO LANGUAGE DYNAMICS

5. Introduction to Language Dynamics

5.1. Motivations behind Language Dynamics Modeling

5.2. Numerical Calculations and Experiments

5.2.1. Constructing a model of language dynamics

5.3. A Minimum Dictionary

6. Language Evolution Models

6.1. Semiotic Dynamics models

6.1.1. The Nowak model

6.1.2. Naming game models

6.2. Genetic-like Models

6.2.1. Statistical properties of languages

6.2.2. The Schultze and Stauffer Bit-String model

6.2.3. The Kosmidis, Halley, and Argyrakis Bit-String model

6.2.4. The Viviane De Oliveira model

6.2.5. Modeling the Mazatec expansion

7. Language Competition Models

7.1. Introduction to Language Competition

7.2. Two-State Models: The Abrams and Strogatz Model

7.3. Models with Bilinguals

7.3.1. The Minett and Wang model

7.3.2. Connecting language and opinion dynamics: The AB model

7.3.3. The role of bilinguals

7.3.4. The naming game as a competition model

7.3.5. Similarity between languages: The Mira and Paredes model

7.3.6. Use of language

7.4. Models with Population Dynamics

7.4.1. The model of Pinasco and Romanelli

7.4.2. Shared resources: The model of Kandler and Steele

7.5. Taking into Account Geography

7.5.1. Inhomogeneous dispersal: Influence of linguistic barriers

7.5.2. Inhomogeneous dispersal: Influence of physical geographical barriers

7.6. Wave Front in Language Dynamics

7.6.1. The ecology of languages: The Baggs and Freedman model

7.7. Examples of Language Use

7.7.1. Language use in the Basque country

7.7.2. Language use in Catalunya.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 179-196) and index.

Other Format:

Online version: Patriarca, Marco, Languages in space and time

ISBN:

9781108480659

1108480659

OCLC:

1135908317