Migration as a Window into the Coevolution between Language and Behavior

8 Pages Posted: 14 Mar 2016

See all articles by Victor Gay

Victor Gay

Toulouse School of Economics; Institute for Advanced Study in Toulouse

Daniel L. Hicks

University of Oklahoma - Department of Economics

Estefania Santacreu-Vasut

ESSEC Business School

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Date Written: March 13, 2016

Abstract

Understanding the causes and consequences of language evolution in relation to social factors is challenging as we generally lack a clear picture of how languages coevolve with historical social processes. Research analyzing the relation between language and socio-economic factors relies on contemporaneous data. Because of this, such analysis may be plagued by spurious correlation concerns coming from the historical co-evolution and dependency of the relationship between language and behavior to the institutional environment. To solve this problem, we propose migrations to the same country as a microevolutionary step that may uncover constraints on behavior. We detail strategies available to other researchers by applying the epidemiological approach to study the correlation between sex-based gender distinctions and female labor force participation. Our main finding is that language must have evolved partly as a result of cultural change, but also that it may have directly constrained the evolution of norms. We conclude by discussing implications for the coevolution of language and behavior, and by comparing different methodological approaches.

Keywords: language, history, gender

JEL Classification: N12, J16, Z1

Suggested Citation

Gay, Victor and Hicks, Daniel Lee and Santacreu-Vasut, Estefania, Migration as a Window into the Coevolution between Language and Behavior (March 13, 2016). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2747153 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2747153

Victor Gay

Toulouse School of Economics ( email )

Place Anatole-France
Toulouse Cedex, F-31042
France

HOME PAGE: http://victorgay.me

Institute for Advanced Study in Toulouse ( email )

31015 Toulouse, Cedex 6
France

Daniel Lee Hicks (Contact Author)

University of Oklahoma - Department of Economics ( email )

729 Elm Avenue
Norman, OK 73019-2103
United States

Estefania Santacreu-Vasut

ESSEC Business School ( email )

3 Avenue Bernard Hirsch
CS 50105 CERGY
CERGY, CERGY PONTOISE CEDEX 95021
France

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