Sub-exponential Growth Dynamics in Complex Systems: A Piecewise Power-Law Model for the Diffusion of New Words and Names

ArXi:2511.04106v5 Announce Type: replace-cross The diffusion of ideas and language in society has conventionally been described by S-shaped models, such as the logistic curve. However, the role of sub-exponential growth -- a slower-than-exponential pattern known in epidemiology -- has been largely overlooked in broader social phenomena. Here, we present a piecewise power-law model to characterize complex growth curves with a few parameters.