Publikationen

Are Languages like Atoms? On Modelling Language Spread as a Physicist

Autor(en)
Katharina Prochazka, Gero Vogl
Abstrakt

In physics, the spread of particles such as atoms is called diffusion. The same term is employed in linguistics to describe the spread of language features or languages as a whole. In this paper, we investigate how models for physical diffusion can be transferred to linguistics to study language spread. We review the different ways of describing physical diffusion and then look at two types of models to study language spread. By examining the differences and similarities between speakers, languages and atoms, we show that it is important to be clear about what is being modelled: languages or speakers, as these are quite different but cannot be completely separated - languages cannot exist without speakers and vice versa.

Organisation(en)
Dynamik Kondensierter Systeme
Journal
Glottotheory
Band
9
Seiten
77-88
Anzahl der Seiten
12
ISSN
1337-7892
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1515/glot-2018-0005
Publikationsdatum
11-2018
Peer-reviewed
Ja
ÖFOS 2012
101028 Mathematische Modellierung, 103009 Festkörperphysik, 602048 Soziolinguistik
Schlagwörter
ASJC Scopus Sachgebiete
History, Linguistics and Language
Link zum Portal
https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/de/publications/are-languages-like-atoms-on-modelling-language-spread-as-a-physicist(c97d486c-6e10-4181-b3f1-d8c4d1f8ad79).html