单词使用的频率预测了整个印欧历史上词汇演变的速度
Mark Pagel1, Quentin D Atkinson, Andrew Meade
1School of Biological Sciences, University of Reading, Whiteknights, Reading, Berkshire, RG6 6AS, UK. m.pagel@reading.ac.uk
Nature
|October 12, 2007
概括
单词使用频率会影响印欧语言的单词变化速度. 高频单词的演变缓慢,而低频单词的变化更快,解释了词汇更换率的变化.
科学领域:
- 历史语言学 历史语言学
- 计算语言学 计算语言学
- 语言的演变语言的演变
背景情况:
- 词汇更换率在印欧语言中的不同词语含义之间有很大差异.
- 现有的语言学理论缺乏对单词演化速度的这种变化的全面解释.
研究的目的:
- 调查单词使用频率与印欧语言的词汇替代率之间的关系.
- 为了确定一个一般的语言机制驱动单词演变的不同速度.
主要方法:
- 分析了四个主要的语言群体 (英语,西班牙语,俄语,希腊语).
- 利用了87种印欧语言的200个基本词汇含义的比较数据库.
- 相关的现代单词使用频率与词汇更换的历史速率.
主要成果:
- 发现了强烈的相关性:经常使用的单词的演变速度明显慢于不经常使用的单词.
- 这种依赖频率的进化速率在语音和语言体的不同部分中是一致的.
- 单词使用频率解释了大约50%的历史词汇替换率的变化.
结论:
- 单词的使用频率对词汇演变的速度产生了可预测的,类似于法律的影响.
- 研究结果支持语言变化的社会模型,突出了词汇进化中选择的作用.
- 语言使用模式本质上驱动所有语言的单词变化率差异.
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