Cultural evolutionary modeling of patterns in language change : exercises in evolutionary linguistics
Landsbergen, F.
Citation
Landsbergen, F. (2009, September 8). Cultural evolutionary modeling of patterns in language change : exercises in evolutionary linguistics. LOT dissertation series. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/1887/13971
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License: Licence agreement concerning inclusion of doctoral thesis in the Institutional Repository of the University of Leiden
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Cultural evolutionary modeling of patterns in language change
Exercises in evolutionary linguistics
Published by LOT
Trans 10 3512 JK Utrecht The Netherlands
phone: +31 30 253 6006 fax: +31 30 253 6000 e-mail: lot@let.uu.nl http://www.lotschool.nl Cover illustration: Frank Landsbergen
ISBN 978-90-78328-97-1 NUR 616
Copyright © 2009: Frank Landsbergen. All rights reserved.
Cultural evolutionary modeling of patterns in language change
Exercises in evolutionary linguistics
PROEFSCHRIFT
ter verkrijging van
de graad van Doctor aan de Universiteit Leiden,
op gezag van Rector Magnificus prof. mr. P.F. van der Heijden, volgens besluit van het College voor Promoties
te verdedigen op dinsdag 8 september 2009 klokke 16.15 uur
door
Frank Landsbergen
geboren te Eindhoven
in 1977
Promotiecommissie
Promotor: Prof. dr. A. Verhagen
Copromotor: Dr. R. F. Lachlan (Duke University)
Overige leden: Prof. dr. W. A. Croft (referent; University of New Mexico) Prof. dr. M. J. van der Wal
Dr. M. A. C. de Vaan
The research reported here was conducted in the context of the project Modeling cultural evolution. A parallel investigation in bird song and human language and was funded by the Dutch Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) as part of the Evolution and Behaviour Programme.
Acknowledgements
One of the central tenets in this thesis is that the frequency with which a particular word, meaning, construction or any linguistic item is uttered, has an effect on the item’s fitness: the higher the frequency of use of an item, the bigger the chance it will be saved from possible extinction and oblivion. This might also be true in the habitat of academia, since the frequency in which one’s name, preferrably but not necessarily linked to an article or paper, is mentioned, seems to be tightly linked to one’s scientific survival. In these acknowledgements, I will therefore not only kindly thank the people who, in many different ways, have contributed to this work, but by doing so, returning them a favor by increasing their fitness.
Let me start with the biologists who have opened my eyes for the beauty and power of evolution theory: Rob Lachlan and Carel ten Cate. Rob particularly had the difficult task of teaching a linguist the mathematical side of evolution, for which I am grateful. Evenly grateful am I for his efforts to introduce me to the world of computer modeling and Java programming.
In the field of linguistics, I owe gratitude to a series of people from whom I have learned a great deal on many different topics, for example during the courses at the LOT summer and winter schools, but also in private conversations: Micheal Dunn, Bernd Heine, Dirk Geeraerts, Cor van Bree, Marijke van der Wal and Ariane van Santen, among others. I would also like to thank Matthias Hüning and Barbara Schlücker for their hospitality and inspiring conversations during my visit to the Free University in Berlin.
I must also thank my colleagues at LUCL, my fellow DiacDialers and the many nice people I have met at various conferences and other occasions: Rada, Eric, Mika, Pepijn, Birgit, Hilke, Boban, Rinus, Michael, Alwin, Guus, Sandra, Dafna, Kristine, Leston, Jenneke, Maarten, Anita, Tanja, Marie-Jeanne, Sharon, Diana, Robert, Griet, Anne, Nynke, Marion, Evie, Michel, my old colleagues at the Taalcentrum-VU and the Archbishops.
Finally, I would like to thank a group of people who have helped me with neither biological nor linguistic issues, but who have nevertheless been, each in their own way, an important part of my life in the years that I worked on this thesis:
Myrthe, Fief, my parents, Arno, Froukje and my new cousin Gilian, Jennifer, Andrew, and Femmy.
