Language Dynamics in Networks

Project description

Language change is ubiquitous, and it is primarily driven by the input that we encounter. A key source for this is conversations that we have with e.g. family, friends and colleagues. Many of the changes that occur in language begin with teens and young adults. As young people interact with others their own age, their language grows to include words, phrases, and constructions that are different from those of the older generation. Some of these changes have a short life span (have you heard ‘groovy’ lately?), but others stick around to affect the language as a whole. Studying language change makes it apparent that language evolution is a network phenomenon.

This project will investigate how language change progresses through networks that initially consist of two classes of speakers. Each class possesses their own language characteristics such as the frequencies with which speakers produce certain vowels. Through interactions with other speakers, these characteristics can change. This leads to a host of intriguing questions including how the network topology impacts on language change or how irregular words (such as ‘went’) persist while others regularise. The project will be undertaken in close collaboration with Prof Kathy Conklin in the School of English.