A Bayesian algorithm to trace contact in cultural evolution

Contact between speakers of two or more languages can leave traces in the linguistic record and reveal geographic areas of past human interaction. sBayes helps you to detect these areas.

When speakers of two or more languages are in contact, they can influence each other and exchange words or features: languages in an area become more similar.

However, there are other factors which contribute to similarities between languages. Inheritance from a shared ancestral language and a universal preference for specific linguistic properties may both overshadow contact signals.

Contact, inheritance or universal preference?

sBayes learns which similarities in a set of language data are
rather explained by the confounding effects of inheritance in a family
or universal preference and which are due to contact. In doing so, sBayes detects geographic areas of cultural contact.

sBayes is available as a python package on github, together with installation guidelines and a manual.