NEUTRAL EVOLUTION: A NULL MODEL FOR LANGUAGE DYNAMICS

Richard A. Blythe

25 citations0/0 files storedAdvances in Complex Systems

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Language and cultural evolution Linguistics and language evolution Evolution and Genetic Dynamics

Abstract

We review the task of aligning simple models for language dynamics with relevant empirical data, motivated by the fact that this is rarely attempted in practice despite an abundance of abstract models. We propose that one way to meet this challenge is through the careful construction of null models. We argue in particular that rejection of a null model must have important consequences for theories about language dynamics if modeling is truly to be worthwhile. Our main claim is that the stochastic process of neutral evolution (also known as genetic drift or random copying) is a viable null model for language dynamics. We survey empirical evidence in favor and against neutral evolution as a mechanism behind historical language changes, highlighting the theoretical implications in each case.

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2001Frequency and the Emergence of Linguistic Structure 2010Language Structure Is Partly Determined by Social Structure 2007Quantifying the evolutionary dynamics of language 2003Language evolution: consensus and controversies 2003Iterated Learning: A Framework for the Emergence of Language 2004New Zealand English 1999Using Social Impact Theory to simulate language change 2009Building social cognitive models of language change

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2018Modeling: Neutral, Null, and Baseline 2020Network Connectivity Dynamics, Cognitive Biases, and the Evolution of Cultural Diversity in Round‐Robin Interactive Micro‐Societies 2024Evolving linguistic divergence on polarizing social media 2020Challenges in detecting evolutionary forces in language change using diachronic corpora 2024Cultural evolution: A review of theoretical challenges 2011Statistical Laws Governing Fluctuations in Word Use from Word Birth to Word Death

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