# How individuals change language

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2104.10210 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2104.10210/

## Key facts

- Cited by 2 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 2 of its 179 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 20 Apr 2021.

## Builds on (most cited first, 2 of 2)

- [Evolutionary forces in language change](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1608.00938/) (2016)
- [Geospatial distributions reflect rates of evolution of features of language](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1801.09637/) (2018)

## Built on by (most cited first, 2 of 2)

- [Self-contained Beta-with-Spikes Approximation for Inference Under a Wright-Fisher Model](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2303.04691/) (2023)
- [Reliable Detection and Quantification of Selective Forces in Language Change](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2305.15914/) (2023)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Languages emerge and change over time at the population level though interactions between individual speakers. It is, however, hard to directly observe how a single speaker's linguistic innovation precipitates a population-wide change in the language, and many theoretical proposals exist. We introduce a very general mathematical model that encompasses a wide variety of individual-level linguistic behaviours and provides statistical predictions for the population-level changes that result from them. This model allows us to compare the likelihood of empirically-attested changes in definite and indefinite articles in multiple languages under different assumptions on the way in which individuals learn and use language. We find that accounts of language change that appeal primarily to errors in childhood language acquisition are very weakly supported by the historical data, whereas those that allow speakers to change incrementally across the lifespan are more plausible, particularly when combined with social network effects.