By leveraging statistical physics, scientists are beginning to map the movement of words and accents in ways that are similar to weather forecasting.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust as meteorologists use mathematical models to forecast tomorrow\u2019s weather, the same kind of thinking can be applied to language,\u201d Burridge<\/a> said in a statement.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWhere you are affects how you speak, and if you map how people use certain words, you see clear geographic patterns\u2014just like a weather map. However, the physics of language is closer to crystals and magnets than the atmosphere.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cLanguage change can seem mysterious,\u201d Burridge said, \u201cbut my research argues that as well as being driven by individual human behavior it may also obey some of the same broad rules that govern physical systems like magnets, bubbles, and fluids.\u201d<\/p>\n The result looks something like a \u00a0\u201clanguage weather map,\u201d revealing clear geographic patterns in speech. In their research, Burridge and his colleagues decided to focus their study on regional dialects in the United States, using data from the University of Cambridge\u2019s Cambridge Online Survey of World Englishes, created by linguist Bert Vaux. <\/p>\n This large-scale survey enabled Burridge to examine how different terms compete and spread across various communities. Specifically, Burridge looked at common pop culture terms we use daily or weekly, like the word \u201csoda,\u201d while others use the term \u201cpop,\u201d and why some of these popular words spread while others retreat.\u00a0<\/p>\n One interesting example is the word used for a small crustacean commonly found in gardens. Depending on the region and area someone lives in, they might call it a \u201cwoodlouse\u201d or a \u201croly-poly.\u201d In the 1950s, \u201croly-poly\u201d was mainly used in parts of the American South. But by 1995, the term had spread widely across the United States. This rapid spread of common words shows how local expressions can spread far beyond their origins and become the dominant word in that area or region.\u00a0<\/p>\n The model also helps explain why some regional terms survive while others die out. In earlier research, Burridge studied the spread of the word \u201csplinter\u201d across England. While \u201csplinter\u201d became standard across most of the country, in the northeast (in regions like Newcastle upon Tyne), the local term \u201cspelk\u201d stayed strong as a word. According to the model, local isolation of a term and low population in those areas can help preserve the local words.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cSplinter is used across almost all of England, except around Newcastle, where people still say spelk,\u201d says Burridge. \u201cAlthough Newcastle itself is densely populated, it is surrounded by more sparsely populated areas, which helps the local form hold its ground and prevents splinter from taking over.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t
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One of the study\u2019s most important findings is the idea of a linguistic \u201chorizon.\u201d Like weather forecasts, language predictions become less trustworthy over time as they keep being picked up by the new generation.<\/p>\n Burridge notes, \u201cMy research suggests that language may be much more law-like than it first appears. Beneath the creativity and messiness of human speech, there may be hidden statistical forces shaping how we all end up talking.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cFor physicists like me, this is particularly exciting, as it suggests that the elegant tools of statistical field theory may help explain not just the natural world, but patterns in human communication as well,\u201d he adds.\u00a0<\/p>\n The new framework could have implications beyond linguistics. For example, understanding how language evolves may help sociologists study cultural change and improve technologies such as speech recognition and translation systems. <\/p>\n Chrissy Newton is a PR professional and the founder of VOCAB Communications. She currently appears on The Discovery Channel and Max and hosts the\u00a0<\/b>Rebelliously Curious podcast,<\/b><\/a>\u00a0which can be found on\u00a0<\/b>YouTube<\/b><\/a>\u00a0and on all audio podcast streaming platforms. Follow her on X:\u00a0<\/b>@ChrissyNewton,<\/b><\/a>\u00a0Instagram:\u00a0<\/b>@BeingChrissyNewton<\/b><\/a>, and\u00a0<\/b>chrissynewton.com<\/b><\/a>. To contact Chrissy with a story, please email chrissy @ thedebrief.org.<\/b><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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