Related links

Authoritative: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-818X.2008.00109.x   (Publisher's PDF... likely be available here.)

Source: http://www.blackwell-compass.com/subject...le_id=lnco_tr_bpl109

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Abstract

The field of language dynamics encompasses the study and modeling of how languages develop (language evolution), change, and interact (language competition). It contrasts with traditional historical linguistics in several ways: the focus is on the world's linguistic diversity rather than just on specific languages or language families; methods are quantitative rather than qualitative; computer simulations are employed for elucidating situations that are not immediately observable, being too complex or pertaining to prehistory; the data used are systematic ones gathered in large databases rather than data that happen to be available for select languages. A crucial feature of the methodology is the fine-tuning of simulation models through empirical observations of quantitative distributions such as those of speaker populations or of grammatical features shared among languages.

@article{wichmann08teachingLearningGuide,
  author={Soren Wichmann},
  title={Teaching & Learning Guide for: The Emerging Field of Language Dynamics},
  journal={Language and Linguistics Compass},
  year={2008},
  volume={2},
  number={6},
  pages={1294-1297},
  doi={10.1111/j.1749-818X.2008.00109.x},
  url={http://www.isrl.uiuc.edu/~amag/langev/paper/wichmann08teachingLearningGuide.html}
}