Phylogenetic models of language change: three new questions
Date
2013
Authors
Gray, Russell D
Greenhill, Simon J
Atkinson, Quentin D
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
MIT Press
Abstract
Computational methods derived from evolutionary biology are increasingly being
applied to the study of cultural evolution. This is particularly the case in studies of
language evolution, where phylogenetic methods have recently been used to test hypotheses about divergence dates, rates of lexical change, borrowing, and putative language universals. This chapter outlines three new and related questions that could be
productively tackled with computational phylogenetic methods: What drives language
diversifi cation? What drives differences in the rate of linguistic change (disparity)? Can we identify cultural and linguistic homelands?
Description
Keywords
phylogenetic, language, models
Citation
Gra, R.D., Greenhill, S.J. & Atkinson, Q.D. (2013). Phylogenetic models of language change: three new questions. In P. J. Richerson & M. H. Christiansen (Eds.), Cultural Evolution: Society, Technology, Language, and Religion. Cambridge: MIT Press.
Collections
Source
Type
Journal article
Book Title
Cultural Evolution: Society, Technology, Language, and Religion