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Item type:Publication, On the von Neumann entropy of language networks: applications to cross-linguistic comparisons(IOP Publishing Ltd, 2021-12-01)Words are not isolated entities within a language. In this paper, we measure the number of choices transmitted in natural language by means of the von Neumann entropy of language networks. This quantity, introduced in Quantum Information accounts, provides a detailed characterization of network complexities. The simulations are based on a large parallel corpus of 362 languages across 55 linguistic families (focusing on the sub-sample of 85 languages from the Americas). With this, we constructed language networks as a simple way to describe word connectivity patterns for each language. We studied several aspects of the von Neumann entropy of language networks. First, we discovered large groups of languages with low average degree and high von Neumann entropy. The results suggested also that large von Neumann entropy is associated with word entropy (as a proxy for morphological complexity), and is inversely related to degree regularity. This means that there are pressures at play that keep a balance between word morphological complexity and patterns of connections between words. We suggested also a strong influence of functional words on low von Neumann entropy languages. Our approach is thus a simple network-based contribution to establish cross-linguistic language comparisons from textual data. - Some of the metrics are blocked by yourconsent settings
Item type:Publication, Grambank reveals the importance of genealogical constraints on linguistic diversity and highlights the impact of language loss(Center for Open Science, 2022-12-04)While global patterns of human genetic diversity are increasingly well characterized, the diversity of human languages remains less systematically described. Here we outline the Grambank database. With over 400,000 data points and 2,400 languages, Grambank is the largest comparative grammatical database available. The comprehensiveness of Grambank allows us to quantify the relative effects of genealogical inheritance and geographic proximity on the structural diversity of the world's languages, evaluate constraints on linguistic diversity, and identify the world's most unusual languages. An analysis of the consequences of language loss reveals that the reduction in diversity will be strikingly uneven across the major linguistic regions of the world. Without sustained efforts to document and revitalize endangered languages, our linguistic window into human history, cognition and culture will be seriously fragmented. - Some of the metrics are blocked by yourconsent settings
Item type:Publication, Untangling the evolution of body-part terminology in Pano: conservative versus innovative traits in body-part lexicalization(Royal Society, 2022-12-09)Although language-family specific traits which do not find direct counterparts outside a given language family are usually ignored in quantitative phylogenetic studies, scholars have made ample use of them in qualitative investigations, revealing their potential for identifying language relationships. An example of such a family specific trait are body-part expressions in Pano languages, which are often lexicalized forms, composed of bound roots (also called body-part prefixes in the literature) and non-productive derivative morphemes (called here body-part formatives). We use various statistical methods to demonstrate that whereas body-part roots are generally conservative, body-part formatives exhibit diverse chronologies and are often the result of recent and parallel innovations. In line with this, the phylogenetic structure of body-part roots projects the major branches of the family, while formatives are highly non-tree-like. Beyond its contribution to the phylogenetic analysis of Pano languages, this study provides significative insights into the role of grammatical innovations for language classification, the origin of morphological complexity in the Amazon and the phylogenetic signal of specific grammatical traits in language families. - Some of the metrics are blocked by yourconsent settings
Item type:Publication, Grambank Reveals the Importance of Genealogical Constraints on Linguistic Diversity and Highlights the Impact of Language Loss(American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2023-04-21)While global patterns of human genetic diversity are increasingly well characterized, the diversity of human languages remains less systematically described. Here, we outline the Grambank database. With over 400,000 data points and 2400 languages, Grambank is the largest comparative grammatical database available. The comprehensiveness of Grambank allows us to quantify the relative effects of genealogical inheritance and geographic proximity on the structural diversity of the world’s languages, evaluate constraints on linguistic diversity, and identify the world’s most unusual languages. An analysis of the consequences of language loss reveals that the reduction in diversity will be strikingly uneven across the major linguistic regions of the world. Without sustained efforts to document and revitalize endangered languages, our linguistic window into human history, cognition, and culture will be seriously fragmented.