Drivers of geographical patterns of language diversity

Colorado State University, Fort Collins CO

Investigators

Abstract

This project examines the dynamic and spatial processes that have resulted in the diversity of 7,000 languages that are spoken and signed in contemporary human societies. Although the geographical patterns of language diversity are well-documented and fundamentally affect how human communicate, the formation of these patterns remains debatable. In this study, the research team uses novel methodological approaches to identify social, cultural, historical, and environmental processes that influence language diversity patterns across the planet. The project advances a methodological approach that can be applied in other studies to assess spatial patterns in different facets of cultural diversity. The project also contributes to the training of a postdoctoral scholar and undergraduate students. The goal of this project is to resolve longstanding debates about the sociocultural, environmental, and geographic determinants of linguistic diversity. To surmount challenges that have limited previous analyses, the researchers in this project adapt methodological approaches that were initially developed in the field of biogeography. In particular, the proposed project analyzes how a subset of factors associated with language diversification are linked in complex causal pathways, vary from one location to another, and differ across spatial scales. The proposed research also helps to address concerns with the quality of observed language range maps by examining the degree to which map quality affects the results of analyses of geographical diversity patterns. The project also enhances an international and interdisciplinary network of researchers, trains early career researchers, develops a teaching unit for undergraduate courses, and disseminates results in diverse outlets. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.