Niche as a determinant of word fate in online groups
Eduardo G. Altmann, Janet B. Pierrehumbert, Adilson E. Motter

TL;DR
This paper investigates how the concept of a word niche, defined by the range of users and topics, influences word frequency changes in online communities, highlighting the importance of niche size over frequency in language dynamics.
Contribution
It introduces a method to quantify word niches and demonstrates their significant role in short-term vocabulary evolution, surpassing the influence of word frequency alone.
Findings
Word niche size strongly predicts frequency changes.
Niche size impacts vocabulary dynamics more than frequency.
Individual and social factors drive short-term word fluctuations.
Abstract
Patterns of word use both reflect and influence a myriad of human activities and interactions. Like other entities that are reproduced and evolve, words rise or decline depending upon a complex interplay between {their intrinsic properties and the environments in which they function}. Using Internet discussion communities as model systems, we define the concept of a word niche as the relationship between the word and the characteristic features of the environments in which it is used. We develop a method to quantify two important aspects of the size of the word niche: the range of individuals using the word and the range of topics it is used to discuss. Controlling for word frequency, we show that these aspects of the word niche are strong determinants of changes in word frequency. Previous studies have already indicated that word frequency itself is a correlate of word success at…
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