LLS Colloquium: Computational Language Trees: Do They Really Work?

On Wednesday 15th February 2023, Paul Heggarty (Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History) will be presenting on "Computational Language Trees".

Talk: Computational Language Trees:  Do They Really Work?

Computational language trees have been used to stake bold claims for language prehistory, but the whole methodology has never shaken off deep distrust among historical linguists.  This talk identifies deep flaws in high-profile but mutually contradictory papers on Indo-European, and explains how to fix them.  To that end, multiple misconceptions need to be cleared up, and help dissolve the controversy.  A balanced and realistic take on the strengths and weaknesses of Bayesian phylogenetics acknowledges that major issues remain, and assesses how — and how far — it may be possible to work around them.

The talk will take place at 3pm, and there will be an opportunity to ask questions at the end. There will also be an informal wine reception afterwards in the Department of Language and Linguistic Science (Deborah Hines Room, 2nd floor). Everyone is welcome!