Lecture | Language and the Human Past
Towards disentangling factors that shape patterns of linguistic diversity: an areal-typological and spatio-temporal modelling approach
- Date
- Friday 18 September 2026
- Time
- Serie
- Language and the Human Past
- Address
-
Lipsius
Cleveringaplaats 1
2311 BD Leiden - Room
- 1.48
Abstract
The geographical distribution of languages and their features show non-random patterns. This suggests that the factors that drive these linguistic distributions are also non-randomly distributed. Such factors may relate to the biophysical environment, socio-cultural processes, or linguistic characteristics. A general theory linking the these factors, however, is lacking.
In this talk, we present the first results of an Open Competition L NWO project, which aims to disentangle the role of biophysical, sociocultural and linguistic factors, with a focus on South America. We present two related studies. The first study focuses on the stability of grammatical features across linguistic families and geographical regions, looking for insights into the role of genealogical inheritance and areal diffusion in shaping grammatical diversity. Secondly, we will construct an agent-based simulation model in which human communities, the agents, can interact with each other and their biophysical environment across space and time. The integration of areal linguistic typology, socio-cultural dynamics, and spatio-temporal modelling could disentangle the complex interrelations between biophysical and sociocultural variables underlying linguistic distributional patterns.