% pubman genre = article
@article{item_3255509,
title = {{Towards a mechanistic understanding of linguistic diversity}},
author = {Gavin, Michael and Botero, Carlos A. and Bowern, Claire and Colwell, Robert K. and Dunn, Michael and Dunn, Robert R. and Gray, Russell D. and Kirby, Kathryn R. and McCarter, Joe and Powell, Adam and Rangel, Thiago F. and Steppe, John R. and Trautwein, Michelle and Verdolin, Jennifer L. and Yanega, Gregor},
language = {eng},
issn = {0006-3568},
doi = {10.1525/bio.2013.63.7.6},
publisher = {American Institute of Biological Sciences},
year = {2013},
date = {2013},
abstract = {{Our species displays remarkable linguistic diversity. While the uneven distribution of this diversity demands explanation, the drivers of these patterns have not been conclusively determined. We address this issue in two steps. First, we review previous empirical studies that have suggested environmental, geographical, and socio-cultural drivers of linguistic diversification. However, contradictory results and methodological variation make it difficult to draw general conclusions. Second, we outline a program for future research. We suggest that future analyses should account for interactions among causal factors, lack of spatial and phylogenetic independence of data, and transitory patterns. Recent analytical advances in biogeography and evolutionary biology, such as simulation modeling of diversity patterns, hold promise for testing four key mechanisms of language diversification proposed here: neutral change, population movement, contact, and{\textless}br{\textgreater}selection. Future modeling approaches should also evaluate how the outcomes of these processes are influenced by demography, environmental heterogeneity, and time.}},
journal = {{Bioscience}},
volume = {63},
pages = {524--535},
}