Accessibility navigation


Human language as a culturally transmitted replicator

Pagel, M. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7287-8865 (2009) Human language as a culturally transmitted replicator. Nature Reviews Genetics, 10 (6). pp. 405-415. ISSN 1471-0056

Full text not archived in this repository.

It is advisable to refer to the publisher's version if you intend to cite from this work. See Guidance on citing.

To link to this item DOI: 10.1038/nrg2560

Abstract/Summary

Human languages form a distinct and largely independent class of cultural replicators with behaviour and fidelity that can rival that of genes. Parallels between biological and linguistic evolution mean that statistical methods inspired by phylogenetics and comparative biology are being increasingly applied to study language. Phylogenetic trees constructed from linguistic elements chart the history of human cultures, and comparative studies reveal surprising and general features of how languages evolve, including patterns in the rates of evolution of language elements and social factors that influence temporal trends of language evolution. For many comparative questions of anthropology and human behavioural ecology, historical processes estimated from linguistic phylogenies may be more relevant than those estimated from genes.

Item Type:Article
Refereed:Yes
Divisions:Life Sciences > School of Biological Sciences
ID Code:9670
Uncontrolled Keywords:CHAIN MONTE-CARLO, DNA-SEQUENCES, EVOLUTION, TREES, RECONSTRUCTION, DIVERGENCE, FREQUENCY, EXPANSION, PATTERNS, SUPPORT

University Staff: Request a correction | Centaur Editors: Update this record

Page navigation