Languages in space and time : models and methods from complex systems theory

"This cross-disciplinary volume provides an overview of how complexity theory and the tools of statistical mechanics can be applied to linguistic problems to help reveal language groups, and to model the evolution and competition of languages in space and time. On the other hand, it aims to provide some new knowledge of linguistics to mathematicians/physicists. It demonstrates the complexity of linguistic databases and provides a mathematical toolkit for analyzing and extracting useful information from them. Various case studies show how mathematical analysis and modeling help conceptualize empirical facts better than what can be learned through a mere ethnographic view, while the interpretation of facts through sociolinguistics may promote mathematical modeling that predicts and represents reality more accurately. The book should contribute to building a bridge between linguists and mathematical modelers interested in linguistics"--