Freek Van de Velde

A corpus-based account of the development of English such and Dutch zulk: identification, intensification and (inter)subjectification

Abstract On the basis of synchronic English language material, Bolinger (Degree Words, Mouton, 1972) has put forward the hypothesis that intensifying meanings or “degree words” often develop from identifying expressions. This paper will empirically test Bolingers hypothesis by means of in-depth diachronic study of the development of such—one of Bolingers central examples—and of its Dutch cognate zulk in historical text corpora. To this aim, a detailed cognitive-functional account will first be provided of the (differences between the) identifying and intensifying uses of such and zulk, with attention for diachronic changes affecting the syntax and semantics of these uses, cross-linguistically as well as language-specifically. It will be shown that, as predicted by Bolinger (Degree Words, Mouton, 1972), the proportion of identifying uses decreases over time in favor of the intensifying uses both in English and Dutch. The comparison between such and zulk will, however, show that, despite the close relation between these two languages, the development does not run strictly parallel in English and Dutch, thus endorsing a view that language change does not necessarily follow predetermined pathways. We will argue that minute differences in the syntax of such and zulk steer the diachronic course these elements follow. Finally, Bolingers shift from identification to intensification will be discussed in terms of its relation to existing (inter)subjectification hypotheses.

Constructional contamination: How does it work and how do we measure it?

Abstract In this article, we introduce the effect of “constructional contamination”. In constructional contamination, a subset of the instances of a target construction deviate in their realization, due to a superficial resemblance they share with instances of a contaminating construction. We claim that this contaminating effect bears testimony to the hypothesis that language users do not always execute a full parse while interpreting and producing sentences. Instead, they may rely on what has been called “shallow parsing”, i. e., chunking the utterances into large, unanalyzed exemplars that may extend across constituent borders. We propose several measures to quantify constructional contamination in corpus data. To evaluate these measures, the Dutch partitive genitive is taken under scrutiny as a target construction of constructional contamination. In this case study, it is shown that neighboring constructions play a crucial role in determining the presence or absence of the -s suffix among instances of the partitive genitive. The different measures themselves, however, are not construction-specific, and can readily be used to track constructional contamination in other case studies as well.

Ontwikkelingen in de linkerperiferie van de nominale constituent

This article argues that the Modern Dutch noun phrase (NP/DP) has acquired a new slot in its left periphery. This slot contains interpersonal modifiers, like focus particles, modal adverbs and other epistemic modifiers. On the basis of historical corpus inquiry it is shown how this slot has developed and how it has been accommodating more and more complex elements in the course of time. This diachronic evolution has consequences for the synchronic description of the noun phrase. Any synchronic structural description of the noun phrase, at whatever stage in the history of the language, has temporary status only.

Does framing work? An empirical study of Simplifying Models for sustainable food production

Abstract We investigate empirically whether framing in general, and the use of Simplifying Models as a framing tool in particular, has an effect on the way topics are cognitively construed. Existing studies on framing in linguistics have either been theoretical or descriptive. Going beyond such methodologically simple approaches, we use a more rigid test design involving the use of a control group, the construction of test conditions in which different Simplifying Models constitute the major source of variation, the inclusion of independent variables like age and prior knowledge of the subjects, and the use of linear and logistic regression analysis. Our results show that our more rigid methodological approach yields a more reliable image of the effect of Simplifying Models on the way in which people deal with information on a complex topic like sustainable food production. Fleshing out these effects further may in time lead to a better informed construction of communication on complex social topics.

A multivariate analysis of the partitive genitive in Dutch. Bringing quantitative data into a theoretical discussion

Abstract This article takes a usage-based perspective on the partitive genitive construction in Dutch (iets moois, ‘something beautiful’), which has previously drawn scholarly attention from a theoretical perspective, due to the challenges it presents to Dutch nominal morphosyntax. We will argue that a good understanding of the construction at issue cannot circumvent the enormous variation in the expression of the genitive marker. Within the wide variation space, regular patterns can be discerned, which we uncovered by using mixed-effects logistic regression. This approach allows us to assess the precise contribution of internal factors (e.g. length of the adjective, or the type of quantifier) and external factors (e.g. regional variety, or register), as well as their interactions. This article has three objectives then: first, it wants to contribute to the description of Dutch syntax, second it aspires to advance methodological standards in grammatical investigation, and third, it makes a theoretical plea for a usage-based perspective, with full recognition of variation.

Schijnbare syntactische feniksen

Apparent syntactic phoenixes This article investigates ‘syntactic phoenixes’: obsolete or obsolescent constructions that unexpectedly regain currency in language use. Four case studies are investigated to gain insight in the reasons for the revival of these old constructions: (i) transparent free relatives, (ii) the complex prepositionlike combination wat betreft, (iii) accusativus and nominativus cum infinitivo (ACI/NCI) and (iv) bare infinitive with the youngmodal hoeven. In all cases, the (temporary) reversal of the diachronic trends in the internal syntax of these constructions is argued to be driven by an analogical pull by cognate constructions. As such, the phoenixes are in fact illusions: the revival only affects a particular corner of the whole construction, namely where it borders on the neighbouring construction. The diachronic developments underscore the need to take into account the impact of the broad grammatical environment in which syntactic changes take place in grammaticalisation.

The evolutionary dynamics of language as a function of demography

Lieberman et al. (2007) aimed to quantify the evolutionary dynamics of language by investigating the rise of the English regular past tense inflection, which they equated with the weak -ed suffix. Yet, their bold conclusion that “the half-life of an irregular verb scales as the square root of its usage frequency: a verb that is 100 times less frequent regularizes 10 times as fast” (Lieberman et al., 2007, p.713) has successively attracted criticism from scholars in the fields of historical and evolutionary linguistics. First, Carroll, Svare, & Salmons (2012) showed that this constant regularization rate does not hold true for the closely-related German language. Second, Cuskley et al. (2014) found that the rise of the English weak -ed suffix is not driven by forces endogenous to language, such as analogy, but rather by external forces, such as new verbs entering the language through language contact. We will reassess the constant-rate controversy by (i) extending the methodological scope with agent-based modeling, and (ii) extending the number of languages going beyond the German-English distinction, adding Dutch. Our results show that the constant rate does not hold. If language change is co-determined by external forces resulting in languages adapting to its niche (Lupyan & Dale 2016) this is exactly what one would expect, since English, Dutch and German have endured external pressures to a different degree. We will focus on the influence of demographic change. In particular, we investigate the growth of cities and the resulting koineization due to migration in the three 379