Summarine

Computer simulations of language change notes

This website collects my personal notes on Computer simulations of language change. These notes are provided to bring full transparency to my research process. Of course, since they are only notes, they do not reflect my final thoughts on a topic, and should not be interpreted as such. To read finished papers, please consult my website. Do not use these notes as a basis for your own scientific research. Start from high-quality, peer-reviewed scientific literature instead.

0. Preface

p. xi

modelling

  • “we can’t articulate all the details of the world at once”
  • “we need to simplify and focus on the most important aspects of whatever we’re talking bout” → necessary simplification

goal of the book

  • studying complex social systems using mathematical and computational models
p. xii

The social sciences do not have a solid, broadly agreed-upon theoretical foundation in the same way that the physical sciences and even some of the biological sciences do. This is partly because the social sciences are younger, and partly because they deal with extremely complex systems that can be described at multiple levels of organization.

How to use this book

Technical prerequisites

NetLogo

Why this book uses NetLogo but you don’t have to

Computer simulations of language change notes

This website collects my personal notes on Computer simulations of language change. These notes are provided to bring full transparency to my research process. Of course, since they are only notes, they do not reflect my final thoughts on a topic, and should not be interpreted as such. To read finished papers, please consult my website. Do not use these notes as a basis for your own scientific research. Start from high-quality, peer-reviewed scientific literature instead.