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Evolution of grammatical forms: some quantitative approaches

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  • Jean-Marc Luck

    (Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS and CEA)

  • Anita Mehta

    (Clarendon Institute)

Abstract

Grammatical forms are said to evolve via two main mechanisms. These are, respectively, the ‘descent’ mechanism, where current forms can be seen to have descended (albeit with occasional modifications) from their roots in ancient languages, and the ‘contact’ mechanism, where evolution in a given language occurs via borrowing from other languages with which it is in contact. We use ideas and concepts from statistical physics to formulate a series of static and dynamical models which illustrate these issues in general terms. The static models emphasise the relative numbers of rules and exceptions, while the dynamical models focus on the emergence of exceptional forms. These unlikely survivors among various competing grammatical forms are winners against the odds. Our analysis suggests that they emerge when the influence of neighbouring languages exceeds the generic tendency towards regularisation within individual languages. Graphic abstract

Suggested Citation

  • Jean-Marc Luck & Anita Mehta, 2023. "Evolution of grammatical forms: some quantitative approaches," The European Physical Journal B: Condensed Matter and Complex Systems, Springer;EDP Sciences, vol. 96(2), pages 1-15, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:eurphb:v:96:y:2023:i:2:d:10.1140_epjb_s10051-023-00488-0
    DOI: 10.1140/epjb/s10051-023-00488-0
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Barabási, Albert-László & Albert, Réka & Jeong, Hawoong, 2000. "Scale-free characteristics of random networks: the topology of the world-wide web," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 281(1), pages 69-77.
    2. Jean-Marc Luck & Anita Mehta, 2020. "On the coexistence of competing languages," The European Physical Journal B: Condensed Matter and Complex Systems, Springer;EDP Sciences, vol. 93(4), pages 1-18, April.
    3. Richard Blythe, 2015. "Colloquium: Hierarchy of scales in language dynamics," The European Physical Journal B: Condensed Matter and Complex Systems, Springer;EDP Sciences, vol. 88(11), pages 1-18, November.
    4. Erez Lieberman & Jean-Baptiste Michel & Joe Jackson & Tina Tang & Martin A. Nowak, 2007. "Quantifying the evolutionary dynamics of language," Nature, Nature, vol. 449(7163), pages 713-716, October.
    5. J. M. Luck & A. Mehta, 2005. "A deterministic model of competitive cluster growth: glassy dynamics, metastability and pattern formation," The European Physical Journal B: Condensed Matter and Complex Systems, Springer;EDP Sciences, vol. 44(1), pages 79-92, March.
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