Institute of Evolutionary Biology researchers use mathematical networks to study language acquisition

Researchers from the Institute of Evolutionary Biology (IBE), a joint center of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and Pompeu Fabra University (UPF), have developed a quantitative method to study the evolution of syntax during language acquisition. Using mathematical networks constructed from children's speech, the team identified an abrupt transition in linguistic development around two years of age.

The study analyzed 142 sessions of Dutch infant speech from the CHILDES database, including 82 sessions from children with typical development and 60 from children with atypical development, such as those with Down syndrome, hearing impairments, or specific language impairment. By using dependency trees to map how words connect, researchers created “syntactic networks” to examine the developmental trajectories of different groups.