Modelling the dynamics of evolving morphology (1/4)

Wednesday 29 March 2023, 11:00 to 13:00
Invité: 
Erich Round (Surrey, invité Labex EFL)
Organisation: 
Olivier Bonami (LLF)
Lieu: 

Université Paris Cité – Bât. ODG – 1e étage – Salle 137

Erich Round (Université de Surrey)
Fundamentals of scientific modelling

In Session 1, I lay the foundation for the discussions ahead: What is model? What are the parts, uses, interpretations, affordances and limitations of models? What are verbal models and formal models? And how do models relate to key scientific notions such as idealisation, hypothesis testing and theory development? In models of language change, I examine the core topics of interaction; acquisition; later- life learning; cognition; diffusion through populations; and conceptions of language relatedness. Narrowing our focus to quantitative and computational models, I discuss representations, compu- tations, stochasticity, and the role of simulations. We examine limitations of these approaches, and I survey current hot topics and emerging technologies, with a particular emphasis on modelling within the Bayesian probabilistic paradigm.