Rate of language evolution is affected by population size

Bromham, Lindell; Hua, Xia; Fitzpatrick, Thomas G.; Greenhill, Simon J.

Rate of language evolution is affected by population size

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences • Vol/Iss. 112(7) • National Academy of Sciences • Washington, D.C • Published In 2012 • Pages: 2097-2102 •

By Bromham, Lindell, Hua, Xia, Fitzpatrick, Thomas G., Greenhill, Simon J.

Abstract

Population size is generally assumed to play a pivotal role in the evolution of languages and cultures, but the expected patterns and potential mechanisms of change are unsettled. Theoretical models are limited by this uncertainty because they require making prior assumptions about language evolution. Using a sample of 20 Polynesian languages, authors test the effect of population size on the gain, loss, and total change of basic vocabulary words.

Samples
Sample Used	Coded Data	Comment
Ethnologue	Other researchers	Population data
Austronesian Basic Vocabulary Database	Mixed	Linguistic data

Hypotheses (3)
Hypothesis	Supported
Languages with larger speaker populations had higher rates of gain of new words than did their smaller sister languages (2100).	Supported
Languages with a smaller number of speakers had higher rates of loss of lexemes from basic vocabulary than did their larger sister languages (2100).	Some Support
Total rate of change (word gain plus word loss) is related to population size.	Not Supported

Documents and Hypotheses Filed By: erik.ringen

Rate of language evolution is affected by population size

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences • Vol/Iss. 112(7) • National Academy of Sciences • Washington, D.C • Published In 2012 • Pages: 2097-2102 • Cite

By Bromham, Lindell, Hua, Xia, Fitzpatrick, Thomas G., Greenhill, Simon J.

Abstract

Samples

Hypotheses (3)

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences • Vol/Iss. 112(7) • National Academy of Sciences • Washington, D.C • Published In 2012 • Pages: 2097-2102 •