Thomas Roberts
I am a PhD candidate working with John Mansfield and Paul Widmer on the topic of linguistic “schismogenesis” (language divergence under contact), which forms part of the WP Diversity Functions in Phase 2 of the NCCR Evolving Language. I use statistical methods, e.g. Bayesian phylogenetics, to model the evolutionary dynamics of language change, and to try to shed light on some of the processes that generate it. I'm particularly interested in language contact, historical linguistics in general, and modelling language evolution.