Theories and Models of Language Change Crofts Theory Dialect - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Roland Mühlenbernd Review: Linguistic Selection Case Marking Study

Haspelmath’s Theory Croft’s Theory Dialect Variation Emergence of PDM Spatial Separation of PDM Evolutionary Scenario of PDM

Homework

Theories and Models of Language Change

Session 9: Case Study II on Selection - Case Marking Roland Mühlenbernd June 30, 2015

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Roland Mühlenbernd Review: Linguistic Selection Case Marking Study

Haspelmath’s Theory Croft’s Theory Dialect Variation Emergence of PDM Spatial Separation of PDM Evolutionary Scenario of PDM

Homework

Review: Universal Darwinism

Mechanisms of universal evolution:

• 1. variation: continuing abundance of different elements
• 2. selection : number/probability of copies of elements -

depending on interaction between element features and environmental features

• 3. replication: reproduction/copying of elements

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Roland Mühlenbernd Review: Linguistic Selection Case Marking Study

Haspelmath’s Theory Croft’s Theory Dialect Variation Emergence of PDM Spatial Separation of PDM Evolutionary Scenario of PDM

Homework

Review: Linguistic Selection

Two pathways of linguistic selection:

• 1. One variant ousts the other: e.g. ‘village’ substitutes

‘thorp’

• 2. The variants persist over time and become specialized

(functionally and/or socially)

◮ e.g. semantic function: ‘pork/pig’ refer to ‘meat/animal’ ◮ e.g. speaker groups:1 pal, buddy [Am.], dude [Am.], bro

[Am.], mate [Br.], cobber [Aus./NZ], cully [archaic]

1classification according to dict.cc for finding a translation for German

Kumpel.

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Roland Mühlenbernd Review: Linguistic Selection Case Marking Study

Haspelmath’s Theory Croft’s Theory Dialect Variation Emergence of PDM Spatial Separation of PDM Evolutionary Scenario of PDM

Homework

Review: Linguistic Selection

Differential replication

◮ is selection according to the distribution of linguistic

variants

◮ does not lead to a specific variant, but to a stable

distribution (or eqilibrium) of variants

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Roland Mühlenbernd Review: Linguistic Selection Case Marking Study

Haspelmath’s Theory Croft’s Theory Dialect Variation Emergence of PDM Spatial Separation of PDM Evolutionary Scenario of PDM

Homework

Review: Linguistic Selection

Croft’s (2000) - main determinants of linguistic choices:

◮ prestige ◮ accommodation

Note: Croft argues that the selection process

◮ is only driven by social factors ◮ has an outcome that must be functionally adaptive (for

innovation)

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Roland Mühlenbernd Review: Linguistic Selection Case Marking Study

Haspelmath’s Theory Croft’s Theory Dialect Variation Emergence of PDM Spatial Separation of PDM Evolutionary Scenario of PDM

Homework

Review: Linguistic Selection

Note: prepositional dative marker is an optional marker,

◮ used as a compensatory strategy for missing case

distinction (Bavaria)

◮ determined by information structure (Northern

Switzerland)

◮ used to avoid stress clashes, thus driven by phonological

factors (Central Switzerland) Ergo: i) functional differentiation cannot be part of innovation, but of a subsequent (selection/adaptation) process OR ii) the same variant is produced simultaneously.

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Roland Mühlenbernd Review: Linguistic Selection Case Marking Study

Haspelmath’s Theory Croft’s Theory Dialect Variation Emergence of PDM Spatial Separation of PDM Evolutionary Scenario of PDM

Homework

A Case Study of Case Marking

◮ target: test the evolutionary scenario (variation, selection)

against a case of dialect variation: prepositional Dative marking in Upper German

◮ assumption I: functional factors play an important role in

selection

◮ assumption II: selection is a multi-factorial and

multi-dimensional process

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Roland Mühlenbernd Review: Linguistic Selection Case Marking Study

Haspelmath’s Theory Croft’s Theory Dialect Variation Emergence of PDM Spatial Separation of PDM Evolutionary Scenario of PDM

Homework

A Case Study of Case Marking

Uncontroversial among evolutionists:

◮ change is a bi-product of many individual choices among

available variants (speakers don’t select a variant in order to change their language)

◮ the locus of language change is language use rather than

incomplete language acquisition

◮ change involves a new variant’s i) inception and ii)

attractiveness for selection Controversial: which factors are relevant for variant selection?

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Roland Mühlenbernd Review: Linguistic Selection Case Marking Study

Haspelmath’s Theory Croft’s Theory Dialect Variation Emergence of PDM Spatial Separation of PDM Evolutionary Scenario of PDM

Homework

A Case Study of Case Marking

Relevant factors for variant selection?

◮ functional adaptation: selection according to functionality

and usefulness of linguistic structure (Haspelmath 1999)

◮ innovation has functional motivations, whereas selection

is purely socially motivated (Croft 2000)

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Roland Mühlenbernd Review: Linguistic Selection Case Marking Study

Haspelmath’s Theory Croft’s Theory Dialect Variation Emergence of PDM Spatial Separation of PDM Evolutionary Scenario of PDM

Homework

Haspelmath: The Teleological Fallacy

The teleological fallacy: taking functional statements as sufficient explanation Examples:

• 1. “Syntactically relevant morphemes tend to occur at the

periphery, in order to be visible for the syntax.” (Booij 1998)

• 2. “Of was introduced in order to Case-mark NP/DP which

would not otherwise be Case-marked.” (Lightfood 1999)

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Roland Mühlenbernd Review: Linguistic Selection Case Marking Study

Haspelmath’s Theory Croft’s Theory Dialect Variation Emergence of PDM Spatial Separation of PDM Evolutionary Scenario of PDM

Homework

Haspelmath: The Teleological Fallacy

In biology: teleological statements are implicitly purely causal in accordance with evolution theory

• 1. Giraffes have long necks in order to be able to feed on the

leaves of high trees.

• 2. At some earlier time, there was genetic variation: There

were giraffes with somewhat longer necks and giraffes with somewhat shorter necks. Because giraffes with somewhat longer necks had the additional food source of high trees, they had greater reproductive success. Therefore the long-neck gene spread throughout the whole population.

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Roland Mühlenbernd Review: Linguistic Selection Case Marking Study

Haspelmath’s Theory Croft’s Theory Dialect Variation Emergence of PDM Spatial Separation of PDM Evolutionary Scenario of PDM

Homework

Haspelmath: The Teleological Fallacy

This translation works also well in linguistics:

• 1. In cat-s [kæts], the suffix consonant is voiceless in order

to facilitate the pronunciation of this obstruent cluster.

• 2. At some earlier time, there was structural variation: The

suffix -s could be pronounced [z] or [s]. Because [kæts] required less production effort than [kætz], speakers chose it increasingly often. After some time, the form [kæts] had become very frequent and therefore was reanalyzed as

• bligatory, while [kætz] was no longer acquired and

dropped out of the language.

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Roland Mühlenbernd Review: Linguistic Selection Case Marking Study

Haspelmath’s Theory Croft’s Theory Dialect Variation Emergence of PDM Spatial Separation of PDM Evolutionary Scenario of PDM

Homework

Haspelmath’s Theory

The evolutionary scenario in linguistics presupposes three hypotheses:

• 1. Languages show structural variation in all areas of

grammar, and language change is unthinkable without structural variation

• 2. frequency of use is determined primarily by the usefulness

(or “user optimality”) of linguistic structures

• 3. high-frequency structures may become obligatory, and

low-frequency items may be lost as a result of their (high

• r low) frequencies

Note: Haspelmath discusses functional aspects of linguistic variants indeed, but “user optimality” of a variant might have a functional OR social interpretation.

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Roland Mühlenbernd Review: Linguistic Selection Case Marking Study

Haspelmath’s Theory Croft’s Theory Dialect Variation Emergence of PDM Spatial Separation of PDM Evolutionary Scenario of PDM

Homework

Croft’s Theory

The selection process can be defined as a process in which

◮ the differential extinction and proliferation of interactors

(entities that interact as a cohesive whole with their environment)

◮ causes the differential perpetuation of the relevant

replicators (entities that pass on their structure).

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Roland Mühlenbernd Review: Linguistic Selection Case Marking Study

Haspelmath’s Theory Croft’s Theory Dialect Variation Emergence of PDM Spatial Separation of PDM Evolutionary Scenario of PDM

Homework

Croft’s Theory: Exercise 1

Seiler introduces the model of Croft (2000), which entails the concepts ’replicator’, ’interactor’ and ’environment’. Assign the appropriate definitions.

◮ interactor: speaker ◮ replicator: linguistic structure ◮ environment: members of the speech community

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Roland Mühlenbernd Review: Linguistic Selection Case Marking Study

Haspelmath’s Theory Croft’s Theory Dialect Variation Emergence of PDM Spatial Separation of PDM Evolutionary Scenario of PDM

Homework

Croft’s Theory & Seiler’s Concerns

The two steps of language change à la Croft:

• 1. innovation: altered replication of replicators

◮ emergence of new variants by ‘form-function’ reanalysis

(change of form-meaning relationship)

◮ driven by functional factors

• 2. propagation: selection of replicators

◮ gradual transmission across speech community ◮ only driven by social factors

Seiler’s concerns:

◮ by assuming selection to be purely social, how can a

functional differentiation emerge at all?

◮ by assuming that a functional differentiation can emerge,

it’s not functional motivated and therefore totally arbitrary from a purely linguistic point of view

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Roland Mühlenbernd Review: Linguistic Selection Case Marking Study

Haspelmath’s Theory Croft’s Theory Dialect Variation Emergence of PDM Spatial Separation of PDM Evolutionary Scenario of PDM

Homework

Seiler’s Approach

◮ Testing the evolutionary approach against a case of dialect

variation

◮ by assuming language change is also gradual on the

spatial (vs temporal) dimension

◮ Exercise 2: Complete the following quotation:

“The study of dialect variation enables us to detect different patterns of variant selection across space, which is an important empirical key to the leading question of the present paper.”

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Roland Mühlenbernd Review: Linguistic Selection Case Marking Study

Haspelmath’s Theory Croft’s Theory Dialect Variation Emergence of PDM Spatial Separation of PDM Evolutionary Scenario of PDM

Homework

Prepositional Dative Marking

In Upper German (Alemmanic and Bavarian) several dative NPs can be preceded by a prepositional marker:

◮ an (at, beside of) ◮ in (in, into)

Example I

from Seiler 2006: “The role of functional factors in language change”

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Roland Mühlenbernd Review: Linguistic Selection Case Marking Study

Haspelmath’s Theory Croft’s Theory Dialect Variation Emergence of PDM Spatial Separation of PDM Evolutionary Scenario of PDM

Homework

Prepositional Dative Marking

Example II

from Seiler 2006: “The role of functional factors in language change”

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Roland Mühlenbernd Review: Linguistic Selection Case Marking Study

Haspelmath’s Theory Croft’s Theory Dialect Variation Emergence of PDM Spatial Separation of PDM Evolutionary Scenario of PDM

Homework

Prepositional Dative Marking

Prepositional Dative Marking

◮ is geographical determined ◮ is completely meaningless ◮ is optional for most speakers ◮ is constrained by different factors ◮ cannot be explained as a compensatory strategy for eroded

case morphology (like in English or French), since it is mostly redundant with regard to case distinction

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Roland Mühlenbernd Review: Linguistic Selection Case Marking Study

Haspelmath’s Theory Croft’s Theory Dialect Variation Emergence of PDM Spatial Separation of PDM Evolutionary Scenario of PDM

Homework

Dative VS directional PP

◮ ‘Dative VS directional PP’-alternation from Seiler 2006: “The role of functional factors in language change” ◮ but: the directional PP always governs accusative

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Roland Mühlenbernd Review: Linguistic Selection Case Marking Study

Haspelmath’s Theory Croft’s Theory Dialect Variation Emergence of PDM Spatial Separation of PDM Evolutionary Scenario of PDM

Homework

PDM as Result of Reanalysis of Article Forms

PDM emerged due to historical accident: phonological development and reanalysis of article forms enabling to generalize post-prepositional occurrence of dative case Three relevant conditions

• 1. Middle High German definite article dat.sing.masc. dëme

lost initial dental when cliticized to prepositions: attaching < m > or < em > to preposition and article @m <the:DSM> was common in the entire Upper German dialect area

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Roland Mühlenbernd Review: Linguistic Selection Case Marking Study

Haspelmath’s Theory Croft’s Theory Dialect Variation Emergence of PDM Spatial Separation of PDM Evolutionary Scenario of PDM

Homework

PDM as Result of Reanalysis of Article Forms

• 2. Paradigm of fusional morphs emerged (amalgams)

resulting in potential homophones am <at_the:DSM> and im <in_the:DSM> with the bare article @m <the:DSM>

• 3. the by far most frequent occurence of dative case is

post-prepositional (> 90%) ⇒ reanalysis of the not very frequent bare dative articles as prepositional amalgams (@m → am or im) ⇒ extension to other determiners: der Frau überweisen → an der Frau überweisen

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Roland Mühlenbernd Review: Linguistic Selection Case Marking Study

Haspelmath’s Theory Croft’s Theory Dialect Variation Emergence of PDM Spatial Separation of PDM Evolutionary Scenario of PDM

Homework

Spatial Separation of PDM

The regional usage of PDM varies among

◮ obligation that a dative NP is preceded by dative marker or

• ther preposition

◮ optional: accepted but not preferred in an unpreferred

environment

◮ optional: total rejection of PDM in an unpreferred

environment

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Roland Mühlenbernd Review: Linguistic Selection Case Marking Study

Haspelmath’s Theory Croft’s Theory Dialect Variation Emergence of PDM Spatial Separation of PDM Evolutionary Scenario of PDM

Homework

Spatial Separation of PDM (Exercise 3)

There are different ways to apply the prepositional dative marking strategy, which are spatial separated.

◮ South Bavarian/Austria: compensatory strategy for

missing case distinction

◮ Northern Switzerland: accenting strategy for marking

informationstructural salience

◮ Central Switzerland: prevention strategy to avoid a clash

• f two stressed syllables

◮ Note: there are also many regions where PDM cannot be

related to any (extra-)linguistic factor, and seems to be used completely randomly

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Roland Mühlenbernd Review: Linguistic Selection Case Marking Study

Haspelmath’s Theory Croft’s Theory Dialect Variation Emergence of PDM Spatial Separation of PDM Evolutionary Scenario of PDM

Homework

Spatial Separation of PDM: South Bavarian

◮ In South Bavarian (Tyrol and Carinthia) case paradigms of

plurals are morphologically underspecified

◮ PDM insertion occurs exclusively or preferred before

plurals

◮ ⇒ morphology: compensatory strategy for missing case

distinction

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Roland Mühlenbernd Review: Linguistic Selection Case Marking Study

Haspelmath’s Theory Croft’s Theory Dialect Variation Emergence of PDM Spatial Separation of PDM Evolutionary Scenario of PDM

Homework

Spatial Separation of PDM: Northern Switzerland

◮ In German-speaking Switzerland (e.g. Schaffhausen)

PDM usage depends on information structure

◮ PDM insertion is preferred when dative NP is focused ◮ ⇒ iconicity principle: PDM as more explicit encoding

• ption is used for marking the information peak of the

utterance

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Roland Mühlenbernd Review: Linguistic Selection Case Marking Study

Haspelmath’s Theory Croft’s Theory Dialect Variation Emergence of PDM Spatial Separation of PDM Evolutionary Scenario of PDM

Homework

Spatial Separation of PDM: Central Switzerland

◮ In Central Switzerland (e.g. Lucerne) PDM usage is

• bligatory for many speakers

◮ some use PDM optional, according to metrical stress

pattern (to prevent a clash of two stressed syllables)

◮

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Roland Mühlenbernd Review: Linguistic Selection Case Marking Study

Haspelmath’s Theory Croft’s Theory Dialect Variation Emergence of PDM Spatial Separation of PDM Evolutionary Scenario of PDM

Homework

Evolutionary Scenario of PDM

Historical Scenario of PDM proposed by Seiler

◮ innovation: formal reanalysis of article forms as amalgams

• f preposition plus article (@m → am or im), and its

generalization to all post-prepositional dative occurrences

◮ result of innovation: two encoding options for dative NPs:

bare dative and PDM

◮ selection: choice of option is partly arbitrary, partly

functional motivated Note: if - according to Croft - functional factors were only relevant in innovation but not in selection, we would expect to see a) the same function relevant b) in all dialects with PDM

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Roland Mühlenbernd Review: Linguistic Selection Case Marking Study

Haspelmath’s Theory Croft’s Theory Dialect Variation Emergence of PDM Spatial Separation of PDM Evolutionary Scenario of PDM

Homework

Exercise 4

“Therefore, PDM (prepositional dative marking) can be seen as a ’from-structure-to-function’ change: a structural innovation spreads over an area, and then the new pattern starts to be functionally arranged in relation to other available patterns.”

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Roland Mühlenbernd Review: Linguistic Selection Case Marking Study

Haspelmath’s Theory Croft’s Theory Dialect Variation Emergence of PDM Spatial Separation of PDM Evolutionary Scenario of PDM

Homework

Conclusions

◮ linguistic change is also gradual on the dimension of its

integration into a system of grammar (implementation)

◮ different ways of integrating new options display variant

competition

◮ There are three steps Seiler’s model of grammatical

change (Exercise 5):

◮ innovation √ ◮ propagation √ ◮ substitution ◮ implementation √ ◮ replication

◮ replication

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Roland Mühlenbernd Review: Linguistic Selection Case Marking Study

Haspelmath’s Theory Croft’s Theory Dialect Variation Emergence of PDM Spatial Separation of PDM Evolutionary Scenario of PDM

Homework

Homework

◮ Read the article ‘Priming and unidirectional language

change’ (Jäger, Rosenbach 2008)

◮ solve the appropriate exercises given on ILIAS

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