Bubble bubble toil and trouble part 2: The catch up

Posted on Mon Aug 27th, 2018 @ 5:03pm by Lieutenant Anthony Edwards Ph. D & Lieutenant Helena Wells

1,289 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Negotiations and Apothecaries
Location: Linguistics science lab
Timeline: 16th February 2395

ON:

HG had spent some time redoing some of the first of the physics on the language. Of course it sort of took more a back seat to figuring out what was going on with the anti-matter but that required a lot more computer time and ran in the late evenings. This work was not anywhere quite as physically and mathematically challenging to the computer.

=^=Hey boss,=^= HG called. =^=Got some updates on the linquistics model I discussed with you. I redid some things to account for isolated pockets and the effect of modern social interactions if you want to take a look.=^=

=^=On my way HG, I'll be there in a few minutes.=^= Anthony finished what he was doing and removed the gloves and washed his hands before he headed to the linguistics lab. He loved the fact that the linguistics lab was being put to fair usage. A few moments later the lab doors hissed open and he entered with a “So how is it coming HG.”

"I have done some refinements to the model and wanted an expert opinion on the results. I have run them against known outcomes and changes but that is not the same as having someone who really knows the subject."

"Well then lead on McDuff!" Anthony said with a smile as he thought about the expert consultation fees.

"Yes doctor," HG replied. "Well what I did was modify the model such that the boundaries of language dialect regions are controlled by a length minimizing effect analogous to surface tension, mediated by variations in population density which can induce curvature, and by the shape of coastline or similar borders. The predictability of dialect regions arises because these effects will drive many complex, randomized early states toward one of a smaller number of stable final configurations. The new model is able to reproduce observations and predictions of dialectologists. These include dialect continua, isogloss bundling, fanning, the wavelike spread of dialect features from cities, and the impact of movement on the number of dialects that an area can support. l also provided an analytical form for Séguy’s curve giving the relationship between geographical and linguistic distance, and a generalization of the curve to account for the presence of a population center. A simple modification allows us to analytically characterize the variation of language use by age in an area undergoing linguistic change. So pick an historical example and let me show you. I tried several but not the expert in the field by any means."

Anthony had an idea, he knew from the years of specific study he had done and decided he would give the program a hard one. "Colonial French of the South East Asia and south west pacific islands."

"Alright here we go," HG said and started the model. "I am going to start with pre-European contact when the language grouping started with five major groups." The model started and the Formosan group showed no influence from French, as did the South Halmahera-Western New Guinea grouping though that showed influence from Dutch, German and English along the coasts and little in the interior. The Oceanic grouping started with some Portuguese and a few Dutch but as French came in more and more those words were discarded over time with influence from French. Western Malyo-Polynesian though picked up several words incorporation into Viet or Khmar sub languages with a spill over into the Central Malyo-Polynesian group but most was Dutch with a smattering of Arabic from the dominance of Islam in the area.

Anthony simled, "I would be surprised if it had picked up much in those areas, the French kept to the Cantonese area which we call Hong Kong thanks to the English of the late nineteenth to the late twentieth centuries. It isn't until you see the French colonising whole Island in Polynesia, like the dutch did with Indonesia in 1603. The French didn't really start taking plots of land except through the spoils of the Franco Prussian war which is how they got the area around Shanghai."

"Indeed doctor, well what do you think of the refinements to model? Does it come close enough to what you know? " HG asked. She felt a bit like being back in graduate school, hoping that a professor might take an interest. She had to admit that the math was easy for her but the problem was one that she was not very familiar with, but ended up being fascinating in its own way.

"The refinements work quite well actually. It is probably the best model of my knowledge Which comes from the knowledge of my professors and my own research into the area too. I think you have caught the areas Pre Franco Prussian war very well. However French Colonialism sort of happened as a result of it. The Frank's win the war the loser move out of some of their colony's and sign it over to them to take over." Anthony said.

"Well as we get there, perhaps we can refine it for that particular case. OH!" HG suddenly remembered something. "While the model is predictive, it is also postdictive as well. For example, you have words or isoglosses and you put them in, the model can try to figure out how they got there. Here using this example, let me put in some dialects from one of the regions." She went to work and put in some phrases and words. "Now we run the model and ask it to try to figure out where those came from." She picked just one region the Oceanic and watched. It took longer but the model finally showed where the French phrases came in but managed to pick out a few words that it labeled as other European in origin with probability of dutch and or portuguese (ancestry=living things, Words have root origins.) "Might be interesting to run some of the dialects and words through of the culture when we get there to see possibly how things went."

“I certainly think your program would probably get it before me. Commander Tigran has me reading through linguistic catalogs to learn as much of the language as I can to try to get this peace treaty in place. I’m sort of looking forward to it as there has been very little in the way of UPF contact, not quite first contact but pretty close for being involve in a peace treaty.

"Indeed, well anything I can do to help," HG offered.

"I think the best thing you can do at the moment is to help me read through it all in your spare time and get this program working bug free. That means lots and lots of testing usually." Anthony said with a smile.

"Very good doctor," HG replied. She nodded, "Send me what you think is appropriate and I will apply my mind to it."

"Well when it comes to the briefing I will get you invited to so I can give the information to all the important people all at once." Anthony said with a smile.

"That would be nice, well off to see if I can refine things better then. We will show them the science department is worth their weight in latinum" HG replied with a smile.

"Okay HG have fun." Anthony chuckled shaking his head as he left with a chuckle at her comment about Latium. "We are a science agency HG we won't ever see the Latinum some admiral will patent our information long before we will get close enough to a station, if you forgot to put your name on the paper."

OFF:
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Signatures

Lieutenant (jg) Anthony Edwards
Chief Science Officer

&

Civillian HG Wells
Science Officer

 

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