Grambank reveals the importance of genealogical constraints on linguistic diversity and highlights the impact of language loss

Hedvig Skirgård; Hannah J. Haynie; Damián E. Blasi; Harald Hammarström; Jeremy Collins; Jay J. Latarche; Jakob Lesage; Tobias Weber; Alena Witzlack-Makarevich; Sam Passmore; Angela Chira; Luke Maurits; Russell Dinnage; Michael Dunn; Ger Reesink; Ruth Singer; Claire Bowern; Patience Epps; Jane Hill; Outi Vesakoski; Martine Robbeets; Noor Karolin Abbas; Daniel Auer; Nancy A. Bakker; Giulia Barbos; Robert D. Borges; Swintha Danielsen; Luise Dorenbusch; Ella Dorn; John Elliott; Giada Falcone; Jana Fischer; Yustinus Ghanggo Ate; Hannah Gibson; Hans Philipp Göbel; Jemima A. Goodall; Victoria Gruner; Andrew Harvey; Rebekah Hayes; Leonard Heer; Roberto E. Herrera Miranda; Nataliia Hübler; Biu Huntington-Rainey; Jessica K. Ivani; Marilen Johns; Erika Just; Eri Kashima; Carolina Kipf; Janina V. Klingenberg; Nikita König; Aikaterina Koti; Richard G.A. Kowalik; Olga Krasnoukhova; Nora L.M. Lindvall; Mandy Lorenzen; Hannah Lutzenberger; Tânia R.A. Martins; Celia Mata German; Suzanne van der Meer; Jaime Montoya Samamé; Michael Müller; Saliha Muradoglu; Kelsey Neely; Johanna Nickel; Miina Norvik; Cheryl Akinyi Oluoch; Jesse Peacock; India O.C. Pearey; Naomi Peck; Stephanie Petit; Sören Pieper; Mariana Poblete; Daniel Prestipino; Linda Raabe; Amna Raja; Janis Reimringer; Sydney C. Rey; Julia Rizaew; Eloisa Ruppert; Kim K. Salmon; Jill Sammet; Rhiannon Schembri; Lars Schlabbach; Frederick W.P. Schmidt; Amalia Skilton; Wikaliler Daniel Smith; Hilário de Sousa; Kristin Sverredal; Daniel Valle; Javier Vera; Judith Voß; Tim Witte; Henry Wu; Stephanie Yam; Jingting Ye; Maisie Yong; Tessa Yuditha; Roberto Zariquiey; Robert Forkel; Nicholas Evans; Stephen C. Levinson; Martin Haspelmath; Simon J. Greenhill; Quentin D. Atkinson; Russell D. Gray

doi:10.1126/sciadv.adg6175

Grambank reveals the importance of genealogical constraints on linguistic diversity and highlights the impact of language loss

Hedvig Skirgård^*, Hannah J. Haynie, Damián E. Blasi, Harald Hammarström, Jeremy Collins, Jay J. Latarche, Jakob Lesage, Tobias Weber, Alena Witzlack-Makarevich, Sam Passmore, Angela Chira, Luke Maurits, Russell Dinnage, Michael Dunn, Ger Reesink, Ruth Singer, Claire Bowern, Patience Epps, Jane Hill, Outi VesakoskiMartine Robbeets, Noor Karolin Abbas, Daniel Auer, Nancy A. Bakker, Giulia Barbos, Robert D. Borges, Swintha Danielsen, Luise Dorenbusch, Ella Dorn, John Elliott, Giada Falcone, Jana Fischer, Yustinus Ghanggo Ate, Hannah Gibson, Hans Philipp Göbel, Jemima A. Goodall, Victoria Gruner, Andrew Harvey, Rebekah Hayes, Leonard Heer, Roberto E. Herrera Miranda, Nataliia Hübler, Biu Huntington-Rainey, Jessica K. Ivani, Marilen Johns, Erika Just, Eri Kashima, Carolina Kipf, Janina V. Klingenberg, Nikita König, Aikaterina Koti, Richard G.A. Kowalik, Olga Krasnoukhova, Nora L.M. Lindvall, Mandy Lorenzen, Hannah Lutzenberger, Tânia R.A. Martins, Celia Mata German, Suzanne van der Meer, Jaime Montoya Samamé, Michael Müller, Saliha Muradoglu, Kelsey Neely, Johanna Nickel, Miina Norvik, Cheryl Akinyi Oluoch, Jesse Peacock, India O.C. Pearey, Naomi Peck, Stephanie Petit, Sören Pieper, Mariana Poblete, Daniel Prestipino, Linda Raabe, Amna Raja, Janis Reimringer, Sydney C. Rey, Julia Rizaew, Eloisa Ruppert, Kim K. Salmon, Jill Sammet, Rhiannon Schembri, Lars Schlabbach, Frederick W.P. Schmidt, Amalia Skilton, Wikaliler Daniel Smith, Hilário de Sousa, Kristin Sverredal, Daniel Valle, Javier Vera, Judith Voß, Tim Witte, Henry Wu, Stephanie Yam, Jingting Ye, Maisie Yong, Tessa Yuditha, Roberto Zariquiey, Robert Forkel, Nicholas Evans, Stephen C. Levinson, Martin Haspelmath, Simon J. Greenhill, Quentin D. Atkinson, Russell D. Gray^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

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Abstract

While global patterns of human genetic diversity are increasingly well characterized, the diversity of human languages remains less systematically described. Here, we outline the Grambank database. With over 400,000 data points and 2400 languages, Grambank is the largest comparative grammatical database available. The comprehensiveness of Grambank allows us to quantify the relative effects of genealogical inheritance and geographic proximity on the structural diversity of the world’s languages, evaluate constraints on linguistic diversity, and identify the world’s most unusual languages. An analysis of the consequences of language loss reveals that the reduction in diversity will be strikingly uneven across the major linguistic regions of the world. Without sustained efforts to document and revitalize endangered languages, our linguistic window into human history, cognition, and culture will be seriously fragmented.

Original language	English
Article number	eadg6175
Pages (from-to)	1-15
Number of pages	16
Journal	Science Advances
Volume	9
Issue number	16
Early online date	19 Apr 2023
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adg6175
Publication status	Published - 21 Apr 2023
Externally published	Yes

Bibliographical note

Copyright the Author(s) 2023. Version archived for private and non-commercial use with the permission of the author/s and according to publisher conditions. For further rights please contact the publisher.

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10.1126/sciadv.adg6175

Publisher version (open access)Final published version, 1.07 MBLicence: CC BY

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Skirgård, H., Haynie, H. J., Blasi, D. E., Hammarström, H., Collins, J., Latarche, J. J., Lesage, J., Weber, T., Witzlack-Makarevich, A., Passmore, S., Chira, A., Maurits, L., Dinnage, R., Dunn, M., Reesink, G., Singer, R., Bowern, C., Epps, P., Hill, J., ... Gray, R. D. (2023). Grambank reveals the importance of genealogical constraints on linguistic diversity and highlights the impact of language loss. Science Advances, 9(16), 1-15. Article eadg6175. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adg6175

@article{72a820abadec4f81bc6b8005d4b4879f,

title = "Grambank reveals the importance of genealogical constraints on linguistic diversity and highlights the impact of language loss",

abstract = "While global patterns of human genetic diversity are increasingly well characterized, the diversity of human languages remains less systematically described. Here, we outline the Grambank database. With over 400,000 data points and 2400 languages, Grambank is the largest comparative grammatical database available. The comprehensiveness of Grambank allows us to quantify the relative effects of genealogical inheritance and geographic proximity on the structural diversity of the world{\textquoteright}s languages, evaluate constraints on linguistic diversity, and identify the world{\textquoteright}s most unusual languages. An analysis of the consequences of language loss reveals that the reduction in diversity will be strikingly uneven across the major linguistic regions of the world. Without sustained efforts to document and revitalize endangered languages, our linguistic window into human history, cognition, and culture will be seriously fragmented.",

author = "Hedvig Skirg{\aa}rd and Haynie, \{Hannah J.\} and Blasi, \{Dami{\'a}n E.\} and Harald Hammarstr{\"o}m and Jeremy Collins and Latarche, \{Jay J.\} and Jakob Lesage and Tobias Weber and Alena Witzlack-Makarevich and Sam Passmore and Angela Chira and Luke Maurits and Russell Dinnage and Michael Dunn and Ger Reesink and Ruth Singer and Claire Bowern and Patience Epps and Jane Hill and Outi Vesakoski and Martine Robbeets and Abbas, \{Noor Karolin\} and Daniel Auer and Bakker, \{Nancy A.\} and Giulia Barbos and Borges, \{Robert D.\} and Swintha Danielsen and Luise Dorenbusch and Ella Dorn and John Elliott and Giada Falcone and Jana Fischer and \{Ghanggo Ate\}, Yustinus and Hannah Gibson and G{\"o}bel, \{Hans Philipp\} and Goodall, \{Jemima A.\} and Victoria Gruner and Andrew Harvey and Rebekah Hayes and Leonard Heer and \{Herrera Miranda\}, \{Roberto E.\} and Nataliia H{\"u}bler and Biu Huntington-Rainey and Ivani, \{Jessica K.\} and Marilen Johns and Erika Just and Eri Kashima and Carolina Kipf and Klingenberg, \{Janina V.\} and Nikita K{\"o}nig and Aikaterina Koti and Kowalik, \{Richard G.A.\} and Olga Krasnoukhova and Lindvall, \{Nora L.M.\} and Mandy Lorenzen and Hannah Lutzenberger and Martins, \{T{\^a}nia R.A.\} and German, \{Celia Mata\} and \{van der Meer\}, Suzanne and Samam{\'e}, \{Jaime Montoya\} and Michael M{\"u}ller and Saliha Muradoglu and Kelsey Neely and Johanna Nickel and Miina Norvik and Oluoch, \{Cheryl Akinyi\} and Jesse Peacock and Pearey, \{India O.C.\} and Naomi Peck and Stephanie Petit and S{\"o}ren Pieper and Mariana Poblete and Daniel Prestipino and Linda Raabe and Amna Raja and Janis Reimringer and Rey, \{Sydney C.\} and Julia Rizaew and Eloisa Ruppert and Salmon, \{Kim K.\} and Jill Sammet and Rhiannon Schembri and Lars Schlabbach and Schmidt, \{Frederick W.P.\} and Amalia Skilton and Smith, \{Wikaliler Daniel\} and \{de Sousa\}, Hil{\'a}rio and Kristin Sverredal and Daniel Valle and Javier Vera and Judith Vo{\ss} and Tim Witte and Henry Wu and Stephanie Yam and Jingting Ye and Maisie Yong and Tessa Yuditha and Roberto Zariquiey and Robert Forkel and Nicholas Evans and Levinson, \{Stephen C.\} and Martin Haspelmath and Greenhill, \{Simon J.\} and Atkinson, \{Quentin D.\} and Gray, \{Russell D.\}",

note = "Copyright the Author(s) 2023. Version archived for private and non-commercial use with the permission of the author/s and according to publisher conditions. For further rights please contact the publisher. ",

year = "2023",

month = apr,

day = "21",

doi = "10.1126/sciadv.adg6175",

language = "English",

volume = "9",

pages = "1--15",

journal = "Science Advances",

issn = "2375-2548",

publisher = "American Association for the Advancement of Science",

number = "16",

}

Skirgård, H, Haynie, HJ, Blasi, DE, Hammarström, H, Collins, J, Latarche, JJ, Lesage, J, Weber, T, Witzlack-Makarevich, A, Passmore, S, Chira, A, Maurits, L, Dinnage, R, Dunn, M, Reesink, G, Singer, R, Bowern, C, Epps, P, Hill, J, Vesakoski, O, Robbeets, M, Abbas, NK, Auer, D, Bakker, NA, Barbos, G, Borges, RD, Danielsen, S, Dorenbusch, L, Dorn, E, Elliott, J, Falcone, G, Fischer, J, Ghanggo Ate, Y, Gibson, H, Göbel, HP, Goodall, JA, Gruner, V, Harvey, A, Hayes, R, Heer, L, Herrera Miranda, RE, Hübler, N, Huntington-Rainey, B, Ivani, JK, Johns, M, Just, E, Kashima, E, Kipf, C, Klingenberg, JV, König, N, Koti, A, Kowalik, RGA, Krasnoukhova, O, Lindvall, NLM, Lorenzen, M, Lutzenberger, H, Martins, TRA, German, CM, van der Meer, S, Samamé, JM, Müller, M, Muradoglu, S, Neely, K, Nickel, J, Norvik, M, Oluoch, CA, Peacock, J, Pearey, IOC, Peck, N, Petit, S, Pieper, S, Poblete, M, Prestipino, D, Raabe, L, Raja, A, Reimringer, J, Rey, SC, Rizaew, J, Ruppert, E, Salmon, KK, Sammet, J, Schembri, R, Schlabbach, L, Schmidt, FWP, Skilton, A, Smith, WD, de Sousa, H, Sverredal, K, Valle, D, Vera, J, Voß, J, Witte, T, Wu, H, Yam, S, Ye, J, Yong, M, Yuditha, T, Zariquiey, R, Forkel, R, Evans, N, Levinson, SC, Haspelmath, M, Greenhill, SJ, Atkinson, QD & Gray, RD 2023, 'Grambank reveals the importance of genealogical constraints on linguistic diversity and highlights the impact of language loss', Science Advances, vol. 9, no. 16, eadg6175, pp. 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adg6175

TY - JOUR

T1 - Grambank reveals the importance of genealogical constraints on linguistic diversity and highlights the impact of language loss

AU - Skirgård, Hedvig

AU - Haynie, Hannah J.

AU - Blasi, Damián E.

AU - Hammarström, Harald

AU - Collins, Jeremy

AU - Latarche, Jay J.

AU - Lesage, Jakob

AU - Weber, Tobias

AU - Witzlack-Makarevich, Alena

AU - Passmore, Sam

AU - Chira, Angela

AU - Maurits, Luke

AU - Dinnage, Russell

AU - Dunn, Michael

AU - Reesink, Ger

AU - Singer, Ruth

AU - Bowern, Claire

AU - Epps, Patience

AU - Hill, Jane

AU - Vesakoski, Outi

AU - Robbeets, Martine

AU - Abbas, Noor Karolin

AU - Auer, Daniel

AU - Bakker, Nancy A.

AU - Barbos, Giulia

AU - Borges, Robert D.

AU - Danielsen, Swintha

AU - Dorenbusch, Luise

AU - Dorn, Ella

AU - Elliott, John

AU - Falcone, Giada

AU - Fischer, Jana

AU - Ghanggo Ate, Yustinus

AU - Gibson, Hannah

AU - Göbel, Hans Philipp

AU - Goodall, Jemima A.

AU - Gruner, Victoria

AU - Harvey, Andrew

AU - Hayes, Rebekah

AU - Heer, Leonard

AU - Herrera Miranda, Roberto E.

AU - Hübler, Nataliia

AU - Huntington-Rainey, Biu

AU - Ivani, Jessica K.

AU - Johns, Marilen

AU - Just, Erika

AU - Kashima, Eri

AU - Kipf, Carolina

AU - Klingenberg, Janina V.

AU - König, Nikita

AU - Koti, Aikaterina

AU - Kowalik, Richard G.A.

AU - Krasnoukhova, Olga

AU - Lindvall, Nora L.M.

AU - Lorenzen, Mandy

AU - Lutzenberger, Hannah

AU - Martins, Tânia R.A.

AU - German, Celia Mata

AU - van der Meer, Suzanne

AU - Samamé, Jaime Montoya

AU - Müller, Michael

AU - Muradoglu, Saliha

AU - Neely, Kelsey

AU - Nickel, Johanna

AU - Norvik, Miina

AU - Oluoch, Cheryl Akinyi

AU - Peacock, Jesse

AU - Pearey, India O.C.

AU - Peck, Naomi

AU - Petit, Stephanie

AU - Pieper, Sören

AU - Poblete, Mariana

AU - Prestipino, Daniel

AU - Raabe, Linda

AU - Raja, Amna

AU - Reimringer, Janis

AU - Rey, Sydney C.

AU - Rizaew, Julia

AU - Ruppert, Eloisa

AU - Salmon, Kim K.

AU - Sammet, Jill

AU - Schembri, Rhiannon

AU - Schlabbach, Lars

AU - Schmidt, Frederick W.P.

AU - Skilton, Amalia

AU - Smith, Wikaliler Daniel

AU - de Sousa, Hilário

AU - Sverredal, Kristin

AU - Valle, Daniel

AU - Vera, Javier

AU - Voß, Judith

AU - Witte, Tim

AU - Wu, Henry

AU - Yam, Stephanie

AU - Ye, Jingting

AU - Yong, Maisie

AU - Yuditha, Tessa

AU - Zariquiey, Roberto

AU - Forkel, Robert

AU - Evans, Nicholas

AU - Levinson, Stephen C.

AU - Haspelmath, Martin

AU - Greenhill, Simon J.

AU - Atkinson, Quentin D.

AU - Gray, Russell D.

N1 - Copyright the Author(s) 2023. Version archived for private and non-commercial use with the permission of the author/s and according to publisher conditions. For further rights please contact the publisher.

PY - 2023/4/21

Y1 - 2023/4/21

N2 - While global patterns of human genetic diversity are increasingly well characterized, the diversity of human languages remains less systematically described. Here, we outline the Grambank database. With over 400,000 data points and 2400 languages, Grambank is the largest comparative grammatical database available. The comprehensiveness of Grambank allows us to quantify the relative effects of genealogical inheritance and geographic proximity on the structural diversity of the world’s languages, evaluate constraints on linguistic diversity, and identify the world’s most unusual languages. An analysis of the consequences of language loss reveals that the reduction in diversity will be strikingly uneven across the major linguistic regions of the world. Without sustained efforts to document and revitalize endangered languages, our linguistic window into human history, cognition, and culture will be seriously fragmented.

AB - While global patterns of human genetic diversity are increasingly well characterized, the diversity of human languages remains less systematically described. Here, we outline the Grambank database. With over 400,000 data points and 2400 languages, Grambank is the largest comparative grammatical database available. The comprehensiveness of Grambank allows us to quantify the relative effects of genealogical inheritance and geographic proximity on the structural diversity of the world’s languages, evaluate constraints on linguistic diversity, and identify the world’s most unusual languages. An analysis of the consequences of language loss reveals that the reduction in diversity will be strikingly uneven across the major linguistic regions of the world. Without sustained efforts to document and revitalize endangered languages, our linguistic window into human history, cognition, and culture will be seriously fragmented.

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85152979387

UR - https://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/CE140100041

U2 - 10.1126/sciadv.adg6175

DO - 10.1126/sciadv.adg6175

M3 - Article

C2 - 37075104

SN - 2375-2548

VL - 9

SP - 1

EP - 15

JO - Science Advances

JF - Science Advances

IS - 16

M1 - eadg6175

ER -

Grambank reveals the importance of genealogical constraints on linguistic diversity and highlights the impact of language loss

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