Work

A computer simulation of language families

Year: 2008

Type: article

Abstract: This paper presents computer simulations of language populations and the development of language families, showing how a simple model can lead to distributions similar to those observed empirically by Wichmann (2005) and others. The model combines features of two models used in earlier work for the simulation of competition among languages: the ‘Viviane’ model for the migration of peoples and the propagation of languages, and the ‘Schulze’ model, which uses bit-strings as a way of characterising structural features of languages.

Source: Journal of Linguistics

DOI: 10.1017/s0022226708005355

Authors: PAULO MURILO CASTRO DE OLIVEIRA, DIETRICH STAUFFER, SØREN WICHMANN, SUZANA MOSS DE OLIVEIRA

Institutions: Universidade Federal Fluminense, University of Cologne, Leiden University, Max Planck Society, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology

Language: English

Topic: Language and cultural evolution

Subfield: Cultural Studies

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: green

OpenAlex ID: W2062483575

FWCI: 124.6

Cites: 22

Cited by: 34

Related to: 10