Skip to main content

Cellular Automata for Modeling Language Change

  • Conference paper
Cellular Automata (ACRI 2014)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNTCS,volume 8751))

Included in the following conference series:

  • 3046 Accesses

Abstract

This paper describes the use of cellular automata to model dialect feature diffusion as the adaptive aspect of the complex system of speech. We show how a feature, once established, can spread across an area, and how the distribution of a dialect feature as it stands in Linguistic Atlas data could either spread or diminish. Throughout hundreds of iterations, we can watch regional and social distribution patterns emerge as a consequence of update rules. We validate patterns with respect to the linguistic distributions known to occur in the Linguistic Atlas Project.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  1. Abrams, D., Strogatz, S.: Linguistics: Modelling the Dynamics of Lan-guage Death. Nature 424(6951), 900 (2003)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Grieve, J., Speelman, D., Geeraerts, D.: The Emergence of Regional Linguistic Variation: A Computer Simulation. Paper Presented at NWAV 39, San Antonio (2010)

    Google Scholar 

  3. Keller, R.: On Language Change: The Invisible Hand in Language, Trans. by Nerlich, B. Routledge, London (1994)

    Google Scholar 

  4. Kerswill, P.: Models of Linguistic Change and Diffusion: New Evidence from Dialect Leveling in British English. Reading Working Papers in Linguistics 6, 187–216 (2002)

    Google Scholar 

  5. Kretzschmar Jr., W.A.: Isoglosses and Predictive Modeling. American Speech 67, 227–249 (1992)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Kretzschmar Jr., W.A.: The Linguistics of speech. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge (2009)

    Google Scholar 

  7. Kretzschmar Jr., W.A.: Language variation and complex systems. American Speech 85, 263–286 (2010)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Kretzschmar Jr., W.A., Kretzschmar, B., Brockman, I.: Scaled measurement of geographic and social speech data. Literary and Linguistic Computing 28, 173–187 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Kretzschmar Jr., W.A., Light, D.: Mapping with Numbers. Journal of English Linguistics 24, 343–357 (1996)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Nerbonne, J.: Measuring the diffusion of linguistic change. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, vol. 365, pp. 3821–3828 (2010)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2014 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

About this paper

Cite this paper

Kretzschmar, W.A., Juuso, I. (2014). Cellular Automata for Modeling Language Change. In: WÄ…s, J., Sirakoulis, G.C., Bandini, S. (eds) Cellular Automata. ACRI 2014. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 8751. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-11520-7_35

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-11520-7_35

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-11519-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-11520-7

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics