Natural languages as complex adaptive systems
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21165/el.v45i1.787Keywords:
complex systems, linguistics, adaptation, sociolinguistic variation.Abstract
Certain basic properties of complex systems are compared to those of communal languages. It is argued that languages are comprised of interacting units that constitute a functioning whole, with the properties of network structure, decentralized control, emergence, reciprocal causation, far-from-equilibrium state, and positive and negative feedback processes. The possibility that languages also have the property of adaptivity is also discussed. The key problem in defining language adaptivity is found to be the role played by individual linguistic variation in maintaining a language’s stability and capacity for change. It is argued in conclusion that considering natural languages as complex adaptive systems serves as a basis for hypotheses that can be modeled and tested empirically, and that the complex systems approach can bring a unity and coherence to the understanding of diverse linguistic phenomena.
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