G.K. Zipf’s Conception of Language as an Early Prototype of Synergetic Linguistics

Abstract

The article presents a collection of linguistic hypotheses from the work of G. K. Zipf (1902–1950) and re-interprets them as belonging to a systemic conception of language. Frequency of linguistic units as the central concept is linked with the units’ size, age, polylexy, semantic specifity and degree of crystallisation by self-regulative mechanisms which are functional with regard to certain system requirements. The economic constituency principle affects the characteristics of linguistic units and the order parameters of linguistic levels.