Guy Lavender Forsyth
@guylavenderforsyth.bsky.social
Research Fellow @ University of Auckland
Cultural evolution, cross-cultural psych of politics + religion, causal analysis of language endangerment, & the history of Vanuatu: mixing qualitative + quantitative
https://tinyurl.com/guylavenderforsyth
Cultural evolution, cross-cultural psych of politics + religion, causal analysis of language endangerment, & the history of Vanuatu: mixing qualitative + quantitative
https://tinyurl.com/guylavenderforsyth
My new paper critically analyses the available evidence (qualitative & quantitative) + defines plausible mechanisms that can be tested in future work with existing data
So stay tuned for more!
So stay tuned for more!
September 18, 2025 at 3:33 AM
My new paper critically analyses the available evidence (qualitative & quantitative) + defines plausible mechanisms that can be tested in future work with existing data
So stay tuned for more!
So stay tuned for more!
Vanuatu’s lingua franca, Bislama, has been learnt by most people as a 2nd language for decades
But it's increasingly the main language of daily life. Linguists' reports reflect growing worries that this is interrupting transmission of local Indigenous languages
What is causing this shift?
But it's increasingly the main language of daily life. Linguists' reports reflect growing worries that this is interrupting transmission of local Indigenous languages
What is causing this shift?
September 18, 2025 at 3:33 AM
Vanuatu’s lingua franca, Bislama, has been learnt by most people as a 2nd language for decades
But it's increasingly the main language of daily life. Linguists' reports reflect growing worries that this is interrupting transmission of local Indigenous languages
What is causing this shift?
But it's increasingly the main language of daily life. Linguists' reports reflect growing worries that this is interrupting transmission of local Indigenous languages
What is causing this shift?
Vanuatu is the world’s most language-diverse country: >130 languages amongst 300k people. But is there a language shift ongoing that could threaten this?
The last major review said no. But that was 25 yrs ago. Has the story changed?
In a word––yes.
The last major review said no. But that was 25 yrs ago. Has the story changed?
In a word––yes.
September 18, 2025 at 3:33 AM
Vanuatu is the world’s most language-diverse country: >130 languages amongst 300k people. But is there a language shift ongoing that could threaten this?
The last major review said no. But that was 25 yrs ago. Has the story changed?
In a word––yes.
The last major review said no. But that was 25 yrs ago. Has the story changed?
In a word––yes.
Thank you! Yeah it was quite a process but, perhaps like wine, I hope some aging has improved the piece haha
May 4, 2025 at 8:24 PM
Thank you! Yeah it was quite a process but, perhaps like wine, I hope some aging has improved the piece haha
Many thanks to my co-authors/supervisors Quentin Atkinson & Ananish Chaudhuri and to my former PhD student compatriates @scottclaessens.bsky.social & @akfischer.bsky.social for their help in the six years since I first started working on this piece back in 2019!
May 1, 2025 at 4:01 AM
Many thanks to my co-authors/supervisors Quentin Atkinson & Ananish Chaudhuri and to my former PhD student compatriates @scottclaessens.bsky.social & @akfischer.bsky.social for their help in the six years since I first started working on this piece back in 2019!