Networks in the Context of Language
In class we have talked much about the properties of networks, specifically social networks. However, there are many other networks in which the terms we have learned about apply. One of these is the network of languages. In the paper “Language Networks: their structure, function and evolution” by Sole et. al, the authors discuss the laws that govern the organization and evolution of networks, and how these are an important factor in shaping the evolution of a language.
The paper touches on several topics we have covered in class, but provides a fresh perspective on these concepts. For example, the idea of six degrees of separation is brought up here, but in an entirely different context. Instead of viewing this as the idea that one person can be connected to anyone in the world, the authors relate this concept to the idea that despite the fact that languages are complex networks, they have a small world structure. Meaning: it is very easy to reach a given element from another through a small number of jumps between paths.
The authors go on to specify a few key statistical measures that, when performed on a language network, measure the network complexity. One is path length, defined as “the average minimal distance between any pair of elements” and the second is clustering coefficient, defined by “the probability that two vertices (e.g. words) that are neighbors of a given vertex are neighbors of each other.” The clustering coefficient is essentially the triadic closure property in practice. This makes sense: words that are neighbors to another given word are more probable to be neighbors because of their shared connection.
This article interests me because it shows how far the impact of the concepts we talk really stretch. Being able to understand the influence of concepts like paths and triadic closure in specific examples is fascinating. If you look close enough, you can see the impact of networks at work in many different places.
Source:
http://digital.csic.es/bitstream/10261/127923/1/Language%20Networks%20WP.pdf