Journal article
2013
Museum Curator Adjoint in Entomology
robertkcolwell [at] gmail.com
Boulder, CO 80309, USA
robertkcolwell [at] gmail.com
Boulder, CO 80309, USA
APA
Gavin, M., Botero, C., Bowern, C., Colwell, R. K., Dunn, M., Dunn, R., … Yanega, G. (2013). Toward a Mechanistic Understanding of Linguistic Diversity.
Chicago/Turabian
Gavin, M., C. Botero, Claire Bowern, R. K. Colwell, M. Dunn, R. Dunn, R. Gray, et al. “Toward a Mechanistic Understanding of Linguistic Diversity” (2013).
MLA
Gavin, M., et al. Toward a Mechanistic Understanding of Linguistic Diversity. 2013.
Our species displays remarkable linguistic diversity. Although the uneven distribution of this diversity demands explanation, the drivers of these patterns have not been conclusively determined. We address this issue in two steps: First, we review previous empirical studies whose authors have suggested environmental, geographical, and sociocultural drivers of linguistic diversification. However, contradictory results and methodological variation make it difficult to draw general conclusions. Second, we outline a program for future research. We suggest that future analyses should account for interactions among causal factors, the lack of spatial and phylogenetic independence of the data, and transitory patterns. Recent analytical advances in biogeography and evolutionary biology, such as simulation modeling of diversity patterns, hold promise for testing four key mechanisms of language diversification proposed here: neutral change, population movement, contact, and selection. Future modeling approaches should also evaluate how the outcomes of these processes are influenced by demography, environmental heterogeneity, and time.