Language is central to our personal identities, and connects us others, and with our ancestors. But language is highly dynamic. Words and language structures evolve over time, sometimes leading to new dialects and languages. How and why does this occur? What can online communication tell us about regional variations? Why are so many languages at risk of extinction?

These types of questions have traditionally been lacked by the field of linguistics. But physicists – who have never been shy about crossing academic boundaries – are also starting to grapple with these sorts of questions. This video looks at the interdisciplinary field of language dynamics and how tools and knowledge from physics are leading to breakthroughs in understanding.

Find out more about the growing influence of physics in linguistics in a feature article ‘The physics of languages’, available now on the Physics World website.