Grammar Complexity: Society Size Doesn't Determine Linguistic Assumptions
A study conducted by researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology challenges the assumption that the complexity of a language's grammar is influenced by societal size and the presence of non-native speakers. The study analyzed data from 1,314 languages and found that grammatical complexity accumulates slowly and is not significantly affected by social environments. The research highlights the importance of large-scale data and considering factors such as genealogical inheritance and contact when studying the evolution of languages.