Carlo Y. Meloni

The paper models phylogenetic dynamics of clause linkage constructions across languages to assess semantic influence on syntax, finding moderate lineage-specific effects and minimal geographic impact.

This study tests whether writing affects language evolution and use, finding no significant impact on hierarchy depth, sentence length, or clause combining in 30 and 59 languages.

The paper uses phylogenetic modeling to show that languages tend to minimize syntactic hierarchy in grammar, with cultural variation, likely due to learning costs.