An Introduction To Linguistic Synergetics

An Introduction to Linguistic Synergetics

The book provides an introduction to some basic concepts of linguistic synergetics, viewed here as a new multidisciplinary research approach to language studies. It also advances diachronic linguosynergetics, focusing on principles and mechanisms of language change and development, and employing the methodological integrity of philosophy, linguistics and synergetics. Diachronic linguosynergetics endeavours to capture language in a state of change, when a language system follows a non-linear path, through numerous fluctuations and dissipation, leading out of chaos to order and stability. The book considers human language as an open, dynamic, non-linear, and self-organising system, with all its hierarchical subsystems and elements coherently interconnected and controlled by governing parameters. Special emphasis is laid on a variety of change rates on different language levels. As such, diachronic linguosynergetics is capable of addressing a broad range of issues concerning language change. It sheds new light on language development and permits better descriptions of phase transitions, or reconfigurations, of language as a synergetic megasystem.

Quantitative Linguistik / Quantitative Linguistics

Over the past two decades, statistical and other quantitative concepts, models and methods have been increasingly gaining importance and interest in all areas of linguistics and text analysis, as well as in a number of neighboring disciplines and areas of application. The term "quantitative linguistics" comprises all scientific and technical approaches which use such terms and methods in the analysis of or work with language(s), texts and other related subjects. The 71 articles in this handbook, written by internationally-recognized experts, offer a broad, up-to-date overview of the scientific-theoretical principles, the history, the diversity of the subject areas studied, the methods and models used, the results obtained thus far and their applications. The articles are divided up into thirteen chapters: the first chapter includes contributions on the basic principles and the history of the field, nine additional chapters are dedicated to individual descriptions of the levels of linguistic research (from phonology to pragmatics) as well as typological, diachronic and geolinguistic questions. The next two chapters include a description of important models, hypotheses and principles; selected areas of application; and references to neighboring disciplines. The last portion of the handbook is an informative contribution, with information about publication forums, bibliographies, major projects, Internet links, etc. This handbook is useful not only for researchers, teachers and students of all branches of linguistics and the philologies, but also for scientists in neighboring fields, whose theoretical and empirical research touches on linguistic questions (for instance, psychology and sociology), or for those who want to make use of the proven methods or results from quantitative linguistics in their own research.

What is Language Synergetics?