Language as a Complex Natural System

Complexity can be found all over the natural world. Several natural facts have been analyzed by means of networks, so that it has been possible to attest that behind a pattern of complexity there is a set of interacting elements. The present work proposes to consider the language faculty as a natural complex system. Linguistic complexity can be observed at least at two levels: the sociolinguistic dynamics and in language ontogeny. Network studies show on the one hand that syntactic development closely follows social dynamics. These studies show a high level of homogeneity regarding the developmental stages and at the same time a close relationship between the lexicon and the syntax.