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A Replicated Typo
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A Replicated Typo 2.0
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- January 25, 2012
- 09:24 PM
- 69 views
The Great Mystery of Vanishing Phonemes
by Wintz in A Replicated Typo 2.0
It’s been well over a year since I first wrote about the relationship between phoneme inventory size and demography (see here and here). Since then, I have completed a thesis examining this relationship further, especially in the context of the relative roles of demography and tradeoffs between other linguistic subsystems (namely, a language’s lexicon and [...]... Read more »
Atkinson, Q. (2011) Phonemic Diversity Supports a Serial Founder Effect Model of Language Expansion from Africa. Science, 332(6027), 346-349. DOI: 10.1126/science.1199295
- October 27, 2011
- 05:02 AM
- 362 views
Tea Leaves and Lingua Francas: Why the future is not easy to predict
by Wintz in A Replicated Typo 2.0
Tweet We all take comfort in our ability to project into the future. Be it through arbitrary patterns in Spring Pouchong tea leaves, or making statistical inferences about the likelihood that it will rain tomorrow, our accumulation of knowledge about the future is based on continued attempts of attaining certainty: that is, we wish to [...]... Read more »
Taleb, N. (2007) Black Swans and the Domains of Statistics. The American Statistician, 61(3), 198-200. DOI: 10.1198/000313007X219996
- October 13, 2011
- 10:48 AM
- 278 views
Robustness, Evolvability, Degeneracy and stuff like that…
by Wintz in A Replicated Typo 2.0
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Much of the work I plan to do for this year involves integrating traditional and contemporary theories of language change within an evolutionary framework. In my previous post I introduced the concept of degeneracy, which, to briefly recap, refers to components that have a structure-to-function ratio of many-to-one, with a single degenerate structure being . . . → Read More: Robustness, Evolvability, Degeneracy and stuff like that…... Read more »
Cheshire, J. (2007) Discourse variation, grammaticalisation and stuff like that. Journal of Sociolinguistics, 11(2), 155-193. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9841.2007.00317.x
Whitacre, J. (2010) Degeneracy: a link between evolvability, robustness and complexity in biological systems. Theoretical Biology and Medical Modelling, 7(1), 6. DOI: 10.1186/1742-4682-7-6
- September 22, 2011
- 09:14 AM
- 313 views
Degeneracy, Evolution and Language
by Wintz in A Replicated Typo 2.0
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Having had several months off, I thought I’d kick things off by looking at a topic that’s garnered considerable interest in evolutionary theory, known as degeneracy. As a concept, degeneracy is a well known characteristic of biological systems, and is found in the genetic code (many different nucleotide sequences encode a polypeptide) and immune responses (populations . . . → Read More: Degeneracy, Evolution and Language... Read more »
Edelman, G. (2001) Degeneracy and complexity in biological systems. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 98(24), 13763-13768. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.231499798
Whitacre, J. (2010) Degeneracy: a link between evolvability, robustness and complexity in biological systems. Theoretical Biology and Medical Modelling, 7(1), 6. DOI: 10.1186/1742-4682-7-6
- April 19, 2011
- 08:41 AM
- 666 views
The Return of the Phoneme Inventories
by Wintz in A Replicated Typo 2.0
Right, I already referred to Atkinson’s paper in a previous post, and much of the work he’s presented is essentially part of a potential PhD project I’m hoping to do. Much of this stems back to last summer, where I mentioned how the phoneme inventory size correlates with certain demographic features, such as population size and population . . . → Read More: The Return of the Phoneme Inventories... Read more »
Atkinson QD. (2011) Phonemic diversity supports a serial founder effect model of language expansion from Africa. Science (New York, N.Y.), 332(6027), 346-9. PMID: 21493858
- January 18, 2011
- 08:27 AM
- 690 views
Evolving Linguistic Replicators: Major Transitions and Grammaticalisation
by Wintz in A Replicated Typo 2.0
Just before Christmas I found myself in the pub speaking to Sean about his work on bilingualism, major transitions and the contrast between language change and the cultural evolution of language. Now, other than revealing that our social time is spent discussing our university work, the conversation brought up a distinction not often made: whilst language change is part of language evolution, the latter is also what we consider to be a major transition. As you evolutionary biologists will know, ........ Read more »
Croft, W. (2010) The origins of grammaticalization in the verbalization of experience. Linguistics, 48(1), 1-48. DOI: 10.1515/LING.2010.001
Ronnie Cann. (2001) Functional vs. lexical: a cognitive dichotomy. International Conference on Syntactic Categories. DOI: 10.1016/S0092-4563(00)80019-7
- November 24, 2010
- 10:11 AM
- 813 views
From Natyural to Nacheruhl: Utterance Selection and Language Change
by Wintz in A Replicated Typo 2.0
Most of us should know by now that language changes. It’s why the 14th Century prose of Geoffrey Chaucer is nearly impenetrable to modern day speakers of English. It is also why Benjamin Franklin’s phonetically transcribed pronunciation of the English word natural sounded like natyural (phonetically [nætjuɹəl]) . . . → Read More: From Natyural to Nacheruhl: Utterance Selection and Language Change... Read more »
Blythe, R., & Croft, W. (2009) The Speech Community in Evolutionary Language Dynamics. Language Learning, 47-63. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9922.2009.00535.x
- November 11, 2010
- 07:35 PM
- 854 views
Animal Signalling Theory 101 – The Handicap Principle
by Anne in A Replicated Typo 2.0
One of the most important concepts in animal signalling theory, proposed by Amotz Zahavi in a seminal 1975 paper and in later works (Zahavi 1977; Zahavi & Zahavi 1997), is the handicap principle. A general definition is that females have evolved mating preferences for males who display exaggerated ornaments or behaviours that are costly to maintain and develop, and that this cost ensures an ‘honest’ signal of male genetic quality.
As a student I found it quite difficult to identify a work........ Read more »
ZAHAVI, A. (1975) Mate selection?A selection for a handicap. Journal of Theoretical Biology, 53(1), 205-214. DOI: 10.1016/0022-5193(75)90111-3
- October 26, 2010
- 02:40 AM
- 745 views
On Phylogenetic Analogues
by Richard in A Replicated Typo 2.0
A recent post by Miko on Kirschner and Gerhart’s work on developmental constraints and the implications for evolutionary biology caught my eye due to the possible analogues which could be drawn with language in mind. It starts by saying that developmental constraints are the most intuitive out of all of the known constraints on phenotypic variation. Essentially, whatever evolves must evolve from the starting point, and it cannot ignore the features of the original. Thus, a winged horse would ........ Read more »
Gerhart, J., & Kirschner, M. (2007) Colloquium Papers: The theory of facilitated variation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 104(suppl_1), 8582-8589. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0701035104
- October 23, 2010
- 05:22 AM
- 682 views
Domain-General Regions and Domain-Specific Networks
by Wintz in A Replicated Typo 2.0
The notion of a domain-specific, language acquisition device is something that still divides linguists. Yet, in an ongoing debate spanning at least several decades, there is still no evidence, at least to my knowledge, for the existence of a Universal Grammar. Although, you’d be forgiven for thinking that the problem was solved many years ago, especially . . . → Read More: Domain-General Regions and Domain-Specific Networks... Read more »
Deacon, T. (2010) Colloquium Paper: A role for relaxed selection in the evolution of the language capacity. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 107(Supplement_2), 9000-9006. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0914624107
Christiansen, M., & Chater, N. (2008) Language as shaped by the brain. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 31(05). DOI: 10.1017/S0140525X08004998
- October 3, 2010
- 04:34 AM
- 607 views
That’s Linguistics (Not logistics)
by Wintz in A Replicated Typo 2.0
Linguists really need a catchy tune to match those in logistics. Any takers?
I always remember when one of my former lecturers said he was surprised by how little the average person will know about linguistics. For me, this was best exemplified when, upon enquiring about my degree, my friend paused for a brief moment . . . → Read More: That’s Linguistics (Not logistics)... Read more »
Lyle Cambell. (2002) The History of Linguistics. The Handbook of Linguistics. info:/10.1111/b.9781405102520.2002.00006.x
- September 21, 2010
- 03:06 PM
- 864 views
Genetic Anchoring, Tone and Stable Characteristics of Language
by Wintz in A Replicated Typo 2.0
In 2007, Dan Dediu and Bob Ladd published a paper claiming there was a non-spurious link between the non-derived alleles of ASPM and Microcephalin and tonal languages. The key idea emerging from this research is one where certain alleles may bias language acquisition or processing, subsequently shaping the development of a language within a population of . . . → Read More: Genetic Anchoring, Tone and Stable Characteristics of Language... Read more »
Dediu D. (2010) A Bayesian phylogenetic approach to estimating the stability of linguistic features and the genetic biasing of tone. Proceedings. Biological sciences / The Royal Society. PMID: 20810441
Järvikivi J, Vainio M, & Aalto D. (2010) Real-time correlates of phonological quantity reveal unity of tonal and non-tonal languages. PloS one, 5(9). PMID: 20838615
- September 6, 2010
- 01:49 PM
- 674 views
More on Phoneme Inventory Size and Demography
by Wintz in A Replicated Typo 2.0
On the basis of Sean’s comment, about using a regression to look at how phoneme inventory size improved as geographic spread was incorporated along with population size, I decided to look at the stats a bit more closely (original post is here). It’s fairly easy to perform multiple regression in R, which, in the case of . . . → Read More: More on Phoneme Inventory Size and Demography... Read more »
John Fox. (2005) Nonparametric Regression. Encyclopedia of Statistics in Behavioral Science. DOI: 10.1002/0470013192.bsa446
- August 30, 2010
- 01:11 PM
- 676 views
Phoneme Inventory Size and Demography
by Wintz in A Replicated Typo 2.0
It’s long since been established that demography drives evolutionary processes (see Hawks, 2008 for a good overview). Similar attempts are also being made to describe cultural (Shennan, 2000; Henrich, 2004; Richerson & Boyd, 2009) and linguistic (Nettle, 1999a; Wichmann & Homan, 2009; Vogt, 2009) processes by considering the effects of population size and other . . . → Read More: Phoneme Inventory Size and Demography... Read more »
Hay, J., & Bauer, L. (2007) Phoneme inventory size and population size. Language, 83(2), 388-400. DOI: 10.1353/lan.2007.0071
Lupyan G, & Dale R. (2010) Language structure is partly determined by social structure. PloS one, 5(1). PMID: 20098492
Lycett, S., & Norton, C. (2010) A demographic model for Palaeolithic technological evolution: The case of East Asia and the Movius Line. Quaternary International, 211(1-2), 55-65. DOI: 10.1016/j.quaint.2008.12.001
Trudgill, P. (2004) Linguistic and social typology: The Austronesian migrations and phoneme inventories. Linguistic Typology, 8(3), 305-320. DOI: 10.1515/lity.2004.8.3.305
- August 16, 2010
- 05:13 PM
- 1,038 views
Experiments in communication pt 2: Human Iterated Learning
by Wintz in A Replicated Typo 2.0
In the last post, I discussed some of the literature into experimental communication, with the intention of then following it up by looking at recent experiments done at Edinburgh (and beyond). But as Hannah pipped me to the post, with a great overview of the wide range of experiments into language evolution, I’ll instead limit this . . . → Read More: Experiments in communication pt 2: Human Iterated Learning... Read more »
Kirby, S., Cornish, H., & Smith, K. (2008) Cumulative cultural evolution in the laboratory: An experimental approach to the origins of structure in human language. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 105(31), 10681-10686. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0707835105
Cornish, H., Tamariz, M., & Kirby, S. (2009) Complex Adaptive Systems and the Origins of Adaptive Structure: What Experiments Can Tell Us. Language Learning, 187-205. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9922.2009.00540.x
- August 9, 2010
- 03:30 PM
- 841 views
Genetic Components and Cultural Differences: The social sensitivity hypothesis
by Wintz in A Replicated Typo 2.0
Cultural differences are often attributed to events far removed from genetics. The basis for this belief is often based on the assertion that if you take an individual, at birth, from one society and implant them in another, then they will generally grow up to become well-adjusted to their adopted culture. Whilst this is more than . . . → Read More: Genetic Components and Cultural Differences: The social sensitivity hypothesis... Read more »
Way, B., & Lieberman, M. (2010) Is there a genetic contribution to cultural differences? Collectivism, individualism and genetic markers of social sensitivity. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 5(2-3), 203-211. DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsq059
- August 3, 2010
- 04:20 PM
- 1,086 views
Experiments in Communication pt 1: Artificial Language Learning and Constructed Communication Systems
by Wintz in A Replicated Typo 2.0
Much of recent research in linguistics has involved the use of experimentation to directly test hypotheses by comparing and contrasting real-world data with that of laboratory results and computer simulations. In a previous post I looked at how humans, non-human primates, and even non-human animals are all capable of high-fidelity cultural transmission. Yet, to apply this . . . → Read More: Experiments in Communication pt 1: Artificial Language Learning and Constructed Communication Syste........ Read more »
Hudson Kam, C., & Newport, E. (2009) Getting it right by getting it wrong: When learners change languages. Cognitive Psychology, 59(1), 30-66. DOI: 10.1016/j.cogpsych.2009.01.001
Kam, C., & Newport, E. (2005) Regularizing Unpredictable Variation: The Roles of Adult and Child Learners in Language Formation and Change. Language Learning and Development, 1(2), 151-195. DOI: 10.1207/s15473341lld0102_3
WONNACOTT, E., NEWPORT, E., & TANENHAUS, M. (2008) Acquiring and processing verb argument structure: Distributional learning in a miniature language☆. Cognitive Psychology, 56(3), 165-209. DOI: 10.1016/j.cogpsych.2007.04.002
VOULOUMANOS, A. (2008) Fine-grained sensitivity to statistical information in adult word learning. Cognition, 107(2), 729-742. DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2007.08.007
Galantucci, B. (2005) An Experimental Study of the Emergence of Human Communication Systems. Cognitive Science, 29(5), 737-767. DOI: 10.1207/s15516709cog0000_34
Selten, R., & Warglien, M. (2007) The emergence of simple languages in an experimental coordination game. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 104(18), 7361-7366. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0702077104
Selten R, & Warglien M. (2007) The emergence of simple languages in an experimental coordination game. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 104(18), 7361-6. PMID: 17449635
- July 27, 2010
- 01:57 PM
- 1,238 views
Culture-driven population dynamics: sustainable or unsustainable?
by Wintz in A Replicated Typo 2.0
When looking at culture-driven population dynamics, a common assumption is that there’s a positive feedback between cultural evolution and demographic growth. The general prediction, then, is for unlimited growth in population and culture. Yet models based on these assumptions tend to ignore important aspects of cultural evolution, namely: (1) cultural transmission . . . → Read More: Culture-driven population dynamics: sustainable or unsustainable?... Read more »
Ghirlanda, S., Enquist, M., & Perc, M. (2010) Sustainability of culture-driven population dynamics☆. Theoretical Population Biology, 77(3), 181-188. DOI: 10.1016/j.tpb.2010.01.004
- July 25, 2010
- 09:56 PM
- 778 views
Cultural Diversity, Economic Development and Societal Instability
by Wintz in A Replicated Typo 2.0
Most of you in the science blogosphere have probably come across Razib’s recent post on linguistic diversity and poverty. The basic argument being that linguistic homogeneity is good for economic development and general prosperity. I was quite happy to let the debate unfold and limit my stance on the subject to the following few sentences I . . . → Read More: Cultural Diversity, Economic Development and Societal Instability... Read more »
Nettle D, Grace JB, Choisy M, Cornell HV, Guégan JF, & Hochberg ME. (2007) Cultural diversity, economic development and societal instability. PloS one, 2(9). PMID: 17895970
- July 22, 2010
- 04:18 PM
- 543 views
The Media Noose: Copycat Suicides and Social Learning
by Wintz in A Replicated Typo 2.0
I always remember 2008 as the year when the entire UK media descended upon the former mining town of Bridgend. The reason: over the course of two years, 24 young people, most of whom were between the ages of 13 and 17, decided to commit suicide. At the time I . . . → Read More: The Media Noose: Copycat Suicides and Social Learning... Read more »
Mesoudi A. (2009) The cultural dynamics of copycat suicide. PloS one, 4(9). PMID: 19789643
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