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.

Leonard, Jean Leó, author.

Series:

Physics of society.

Physics of society: econophysics and sociophysics

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Mathematical linguistics.

Computational linguistics.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xix, 202 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Place of Publication:

Cambridge : 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. Illustrated with a series of case studies and worked examples, it presents an interdisciplinary framework to enable researchers from the mathematical, physical and social sciences to collaborate on linguistic problems. It demonstrates the complexity of linguistic databases and provides a mathematical toolkit for analyzing and extracting useful information from them - helping to conceptualize empirical facts better than a mere ethnographic view. Providing an important bridge to facilitate collaboration between linguists and mathematical modelers, this book will stimulate new ideas and avenues for research, and will form a valuable resource for advanced students and academics working across complex systems, sociolinguistics, and language dynamics.

Contents:

REVEALING LANGUAGE GROUPS. Language and Languages

Comparison Based on String Metric

Historical Glottometry

LANGUAGE DYNAMICS. Introduction to Language Dynamics

Language Evolution Models

Language Competition Models

Conclusion.

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 11 Jun 2020).

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

1-108-86852-5

1-108-67192-6