Quantitative Diachronic Linguistics and Cultural Analytics: Data-Driven Insights into Language and Cultural Change

15 January 2026 to 16 January 2026, Strand Campus, London

The conference is funded by the London Arts & Humanities Partnership. This is an in-person event.

Language is in constant flux, shaped by social, cultural, and cognitive forces over time. With the increasing availability of large-scale textual data and computational tools, researchers are now better equipped than ever to uncover patterns and mechanisms of language change. This two-day conference explores the intersection of quantitative diachronic linguistics and cultural analytics, providing a platform for researchers working with computational and data-driven methods to investigate how language evolves and how these changes relate – directly or broadly – to cultural dynamics. Presented will be Academic and Student contributions that engage with any aspect of historical linguistics and diachronic language analysis, incorporating quantitative approaches and offer insights into the interplay between linguistic and cultural change.

Confirmed keynote speakers are Dr Barbara McGillivray (King’s College London) and Prof Erich Round (University of Surrey), who will offer complementary perspectives on quantitative methods on different languages.

For any inquiries, please contact the organisers, Andrea Farina (andrea.farina@kcl.ac.uk) or Caitlin Wilson (caitlin.e.wilson@kcl.ac.uk).