Pithagoras

Project Abstract

This interdisciplinary project aims at the creation of mathematical and computational models for the description of the development of human language. Its target is to apply in the linguistic research methods and practices that emanate from the field of Statistical Physics (using Monte Carlo simulations) and Evolutionary Biology. The study will be completed in three stages:

1. Initially, basic phenomenological elements of language will be studied, with emphasis in the Greek language. They will be used to locate and interpret characteristic laws that are followed in the languages. (For example, the Zipf law).

2. In the second stage simulation methods will be used to study the interaction between different languages and its effect in Population Dynamics of biological systems.

3. In the third part a complete formulation of linguistic development in analogy with that of Statistical Mechanics will be attempted.

This work is a collaboration between the Department of Physics and the Department of Foreign Languages of the University of Thessaloniki. The objective of the project is not the simple statistical study of linguistic characteristics, but the physical interpretation of these characteristics, the proposal of new laws that will enable the study of the time development of language as a complex system.

List of Participants

Name
email
John M. Halley
jmax@bio.auth.gr
Anastasiadi - Simeonidi Anna
.
Arapaki Eleni
eleni@kelifos.physics.auth.gr
Argyrakis Panos
panos@physics.auth.gr
Voskaki Rania
.
Gallos Lazaros
lazaros@kelifos.physics.auth.gr
Garas Antonios
garas@kelifos.physics.auth.gr
Kalampokis Alkis
alkis@kelifos.physics.auth.gr
Kosmidis Kosmas
kkosm@physics.auth.gr
Kotsavasiloglou Christos
chkot@otenet.gr
Kyriakopoulou Tita
tita@frl.auth.gr
Maragkakis Michalis
mmara@kelifos.physics.auth.gr
Stavrakaki Stavroula
svoula@enl.auth.gr

(c) Computational Physics Group A.U.Th.