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Toward a Phase-Transition of Language Change

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Toward a Phase-Transition of Language Change THE PHYSICS OF LANGUAGE: TOWARD A PHASE-TRANSITION OF LANGUAGE CHANGE by Nathalie Prevost B.A., Universite de Montreal, 1986 THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY In the Program of Special Arrangements: Philosophy, Computing Science O Nathalie Prevost, 2003 SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY July 2003 All rights reserved. This work may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by photocopy or other means, without permission of the author. APPROVAL Name: Nathalie PrCvost Degree: Doctor of Philosophy Title of Thesis: The Physics of Language: Toward a Phase-Transition of Language Change Examining Committee: Dr. Jonathpif Cmr, Chbir nnings, Senior Supervisor ent of Philosophy c, z- r . Dr. IF/ ~av%&chia, Supervisor Assistant Professor, School of Computing Science - Dr. Pierre ~akarauskas,~~xm&er Assistant Professor, Department of Ophthalmology University of British Columbia r. Bernard Date Approved: 38, 9-3 u PARTIAL COPYRIGHT LICENSE I hereby grant to Simon Fraser University the right to lend my thesis, project or extended essay (the title of which is shown below) to users of the Simon Fraser University Library, and to make partial or single copies only for such users or in response to a request from the library of any other university, or other educational institution, on its own behalf or for one of its users. I further agree that permission for multiple copying of this work for scholarly purposes may be granted by me or the Dean of Graduate Studies. It is understood that copying or publication of this work for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. Title of Thesis/Project/Extended Essay The Physics of Language: Toward a Phase-Transition of Language Change Author: (signature)! (name) July 28,2003 (date) Abstract Interdisciplinary work, such as this, often requires a reform of more traditional notions in order to include novel views. Functionaliaation is such a notion and much of the thrust of this work is that for purposes of explanatory theory, the notion must be redefined. In this thesis, functionalization involves a much broader class of linguistic behavior than what is usually understood in linguistics. We understand functionaliaation, as linguists understand it, to involve a loss of lexicality, but by this we mean a loss of a particular sort of lexicality and that particularization has the consequence that the term as we use it applies to a much broader class of linguistic items than is usually comprehended by the term. Our specific sample involves instances of perceptually bound lexical vocabulary that ac- quire a function of perceptually divorced uses - such as connectives, but also mental, religious and ethical vocabulary. This definition of functionalization includes but is not bound by the notion of grammaticaliaation and as such departs from its traditional linguistic use. We have chosen this vocabulary because it lends itself more readily to reform than does the more entrenched notion of grammaticaliaation. Given this definition we notice that a large portion of our linguistic uses are function- alized that is, have perhaps discoverable causal roles, but causal roles, the explanation of which must be an evolutionary explanation that draws upon the causal roles of ancestral forms of speech. If such vocabulary is to be given definition, then it must be given definition in terms of language that has undergone a similar transformation The research reported in this thesis treats language as a physical system subject to the same forces as other systems describable in physical terms. Moreover, we suggest that the language of mechanical transformations such as first-order phase transitions is directly applicable to such fundamental structural changes in language. When it is borne in mind that the process of grammaticalization is itself evolved, it becomes evident further that such physical phenomena as first-order phase transitions could explain the emergence of grammaticalization itself, and therefore the original advent of syntax. With much love, to my parents Claire and Alexnndre. For the obvious reasons and th,eir unconclitional support. "Anything that, in happening, causes itself to happen again, happens again " - Douglas Adams, MOSTLY HARMLESS,1992 Acknowledgments There are three people I want to acknowledge most especially: First, R.E. Jennings, who saw something in my initial incoherent babble and helped me transform my insight into something I can be proud of. Because of him, I think I can call myself a scientist and a researcher, roles that I have always aspired to. I consider both you and Mary my family. Thank you. Second, Loki Jorgenson, who stepped in generously after Dave Fracchia left SFU. He was willing to entertain my crazy ideas about phase transitions and language and helped me understand the underlying physics that could sustain my claims. His insight (with writing as well), friendship and support has been indispensable. Loki, a long time ago you promised that you would not let me fail and you have fulfilled your commitment. You are always there for me and I truly appreciate it. Thank you. Third, F. David Fracchia who told me early on that he was giving me his support because he thought I would go far. He didn't know it at the time but that kind of uncon- ditional support gave me wings. I am only part of the way now but I hope I will fulfill his expectations. I was sorry to see you leave SFU because I knew that I would miss your boundless optimism. You really went to bat for me both in the difficulties I faced early on and in the form of indispensable financial support, later on. Thank you. My two best girl friends also deserve thanks and acknowledgment: Maria Lantin who provided the Java version of my Ising model and Gaia Marsden who helped make sense of my writing. Thank you so much. Also, thanks to Elli Epp for many insightful conversations and references. You are a friend and in many ways I consider you a mentor. Thank you. vii I would like to thank Phylis Wrenn and the Dean of Graduate Studies staff who were so helpful in ironing out many of the administrative difficulties I faced early on. Thank you. I also thank Michel Fleury whose brilliance and scientific curiosity stirred me towards higher learning again and this particular path. Thank you. Finally, I thank the Social Science and Humanities Research Counsel(SSHRC), who provided three years of funding, the Center for Experimental and Constructive Mathematics (CECM) and the Laboratory for Logic and Experimental Philosophy (LLEP), for providing funds, equipment and a place to work. Thank you. .. Vlll Contents .. Approval 11 .. Abstract 111 Dedication v Quotation vi Acknowledgments vii Table of Contents ix List of Figures xiii Introduction 1 1.1 Opening Remarks. 2 1.1.1 Philosophy of language . 5 1.2 Time scales to linguisticity . 9 1.2.1 Grammaticalization and evolution of language . 10 1.2.2 Language; incidental or not . 11 1.2.3 Criticality and language . 12 1.3 The Underlying Facts of Language: Evasion and Vocables . 16 1.3.1 Versions of a Language . 19 1.4 Propagation and Efficiency . 22 1.4.1 Attenuation in vocables . 25 1.4.2 The dynamics of shareability . 26 1.4.3 Shareability of language in a population . 29 1.4.4 Transcategorial changes .......................... 31 1..5 Phase Transition in the Evolution of Language ................. 33 1.6 The Ising model .................................. 35 1.6.1 Calvin and competition .......................... 38 1.6.2 Integration of Calvin and Ising ...................... 39 1.7 Description of Chapters .............................. 41 2 Loss of Meaning 43 2.1 Evolution of language ............................... 43 2.1.1 Logic and understanding .......................... 43 2.1.2 The process of delexicalization and functionalization .......... 46 2.1.3 Scope misapprehension ........................... 47 2.2 How Physics and Language are Related ..................... 50 3 Efficiency and Language 51 3.1 The Swiss Army Knife ............................... 51 3.2 Language and Efficiency .............................. 53 3.2.1 Language as a physical intervention ................... 54 3.2.2 Exploitation of incidental effects ..................... .54 3.3 Efficiency in Other Language Theories ...................... .56 3.3.1 Neurobiology's account of language emergence ............. .56 3.3.2 Psychological parallels ........................... 57 3.3.3 An argument against structural predisposition ............. 58 3.3.4 The plasticity of language ......................... 58 3.3.5 Head-first and head-last languages .................... 59 4 The Physics of Language 62 4.1 Dynamics of Change in Language ......................... 62 4.1.1 The Coordination role of linguistic activity ............... 65 4.1.2 Time scale ................................. 67 4.2 The Language of Physics .............................. 68 4.2.1 Dispersion .................................. 68 4.3 Attenuation ..................................... 71 4.3.1 Eccentricity and elasticity ......................... 72 4.3.2 Elasticity in physics ............................ 74 4.4 The Effects of Attenuation ............................. 75 4.4.1 Lexical to functional ............................ 75 4.4.2 Attenuated non-lexical vocabulary .................... 76 4.4.3 Attenuated functional vocabulary ..................... 76 4.5 Attenuated Language and Degenerate Physical States ............. 78 4.5.1 Degeneracy in physics ........................... -r8
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