An automated "time machine" is being created by scientists which will help accelerate and improve the process of reconstructing hundreds of ancestral languages.
Researchers from UC Berkeley and the University of British Columbia built a computer program that can rapidly reconstruct "proto-languages" - the linguistic ancestors from which all modern languages have evolved.
Before Language Emerged Crying may Have Enabled Humans to Communicate
A scientist has claimed that the phenomenon of crying when we are overcome by emotion developed as a means to communicate our feelings before the emergence of language.
Advertisement
These earliest-known languages include Proto-Indo-European, Proto-Afroasiatic and, in this case, Proto-Austronesian, that gave rise to languages spoken in Southeast Asia, parts of continental Asia, Australasia and the Pacific.
The research team's computational model uses probabilistic reasoning - that explores logic and statistics to predict an outcome - to reconstruct more than 600 Proto-Austronesian languages from an existing database of more than 140,000 words, replicating with 85 percent accuracy what linguists had done manually.
![Body Language Accurately Conveys Intense Emotions]( "Body Language Accurately Conveys Intense Emotions")
Researchers say that be it triumph or crushing defeat, exhilaration or agony, body language more accurately conveys intense emotions.
According to the researchers, while manual reconstruction is a meticulous process that can take years, this system performs a large-scale reconstruction in a matter of days or even hours.
The program can also provide clues as to how languages might change years from now.
The computational model is based on the established linguistic theory that words evolve along the branches of a family tree - much like a genealogical tree - reflecting linguistic relationships that evolve over time, with the roots and nodes representing proto-languages and the leaves representing modern languages.
Using an algorithm known as the Markov chain Monte Carlo sampler, the program sorted through sets of cognates - words in different languages that share a common sound, history and origin - to calculate the odds of which set is derived from which proto-language.
At each step, the program stored a hypothesized reconstruction for each cognate and each ancestral language.
Source: ANI
Body Language Accurately Conveys Intense Emotions
Researchers say that be it triumph or crushing defeat, exhilaration or agony, body language more accurately conveys intense emotions.
Advertisement
According to the researchers, while manual reconstruction is a meticulous process that can take years, this system performs a large-scale reconstruction in a matter of days or even hours.
The program can also provide clues as to how languages might change years from now.
The computational model is based on the established linguistic theory that words evolve along the branches of a family tree - much like a genealogical tree - reflecting linguistic relationships that evolve over time, with the roots and nodes representing proto-languages and the leaves representing modern languages.
Using an algorithm known as the Markov chain Monte Carlo sampler, the program sorted through sets of cognates - words in different languages that share a common sound, history and origin - to calculate the odds of which set is derived from which proto-language.
At each step, the program stored a hypothesized reconstruction for each cognate and each ancestral language.
Source: ANI
Study Shows Older Aphasia Patients can Improve Their Language Function Over the Long Term
A new study reveals that even older patients suffering from aphasia can improve their language function and maintain their improvements over the long term.
Advertisement
Advertisement
|
Advertisement
Latest Research News
Scientists identified mechanisms governing immune cells, selectively removing troublemakers to reshape skin immunity. Benefits those with psoriasis, vitiligo.
By 2050, an anticipated increase from 494 million cases in 2020 to 1.06 billion people with musculoskeletal disabilities is expected.
Experts consulted by GlobalData anticipate a significant overhaul in the Gaucher disease scenario because of forthcoming gene therapies in development.
Within the seven major markets, 12% to 20% of diagnosed prevalent NASH cases present severe liver damage (stage 4 liver fibrosis), denoting cirrhosis.
Memory deficits in individuals with epilepsy, especially cognitive difficulties, might partially stem from the transient impairments caused by these slow waves.