Can two languages coexist in the same area?
MAR 04, 2011
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.025104
Institute of Physics : Physicists and mathematicians from the University of Santiago de Compostela in Spain have used mathematical models to show that two languages can coexist in one society. The research, published today in New Journal of Physics (co-owned by the UK’s Institute of Physics and the German Physical Society), refutes earlier research that sought to show how one of two languages would inevitably die out. The researchers suggest their work could be used to inform political decisions concerning the protection of endangered languages: “Allowing for varying statuses and interlinguistic similarity could suggest further and more precise political guidelines for protecting endangered tongues, as well as illuminating the evolution of the language entities themselves.”
© 2011 American Institute of Physics
