Language change
has recently come to be
seen as a complex dynamical system, along the lines of evolutionary
biology and economics, as opposed to previous conceptions as a
linear or cyclical system. We model the change of a particular
phenomenon, vowel harmony, and look at the conditions under which
the trajectory of change matches theoretical and empirical
predictions. Our experimental work shows that there are certain
conditions under which the desired trajectories do not occur,
implying that absence of these conditions is necessary for accurate
modeling of language change.