Work

Scaling Laws in Language Families

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: This article investigates scaling laws within language families using data from over six thousand languages and analyzes emergent patterns observed in Zipf-like classification graphs. Both macroscopic (based on the number of languages by family) and microscopic (based on the number of speakers by language within a family) aspects of these classifications are examined. Particularly noteworthy is the discovery of a distinct division among the fourteen largest contemporary language families, excluding Afro-Asiatic and Nilo-Saharan languages. These families are found to be distributed across three language family quadruplets, each characterized by significantly different exponents in the Zipf graphs. This finding sheds light on the underlying structure and organization of major language families, revealing intriguing insights into the nature of linguistic diversity and distribution.

Source: Entropy

DOI: 10.3390/e27060588

Authors: Maelyson Rolim Fonseca dos Santos, Marcelo Andrade de Filgueiras Gomes

Institutions: Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia de Pernambuco

Language: English

Topic: Language and cultural evolution

Subfield: Cultural Studies

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,137

Funder: Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior