Language Dynamics in Network

语言的变化无处不在，它主要是由我们遇到的输入驱动的。一个关键的来源是我们与家人、朋友和同事之间的对话。许多发生在语言上的变化始于青少年和年轻人。当年轻人与同龄的人交流时，他们的语言中包含了与老一辈不同的单词、短语和结构。其中一些变化的生命周期很短（你最近听说过“groovy”吗？），但其他一些变化会影响整个语言。对语言变化的研究表明，语言进化是一种网络现象。这个项目将研究语言变化是如何通过最初由两类说话者组成的网络进行的。每个类别都有自己的语言特征，比如说话者发出某些元音的频率。通过与其他说话者的互动，这些特征可以改变。这导致了一系列有趣的问题，包括网络拓扑结构如何影响语言变化，以及不规则单词（如“went”）如何持续存在，而其他单词则是规则的。在更广泛的数学/EPSRC术语中，该项目涉及网络动力学和非平衡统计。

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.In broader maths/EPSRC terms, the project is concerned with network dynamics and non-equilibrium statistics.