In search of a unified model of language contact

2013 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 734-736 ◽  
Author(s):  
DONALD WINFORD
Keyword(s):  
Structural Properties ◽  
Language Processing ◽  
Social Factors ◽  
Language Contact ◽  
Unified Model ◽  
Structural Factors ◽  
Unified Framework ◽  
Cultural Setting ◽  
Contact Linguistics ◽  
Linguistic Constraints

Much previous research has pointed to the need for a unified framework for language contact phenomena – one that would include social factors and motivations, structural factors and linguistic constraints, and psycholinguistic factors involved in processes of language processing and production. While Contact Linguistics has devoted a great deal of attention to the structural properties of contact phenomena and their sources in the input languages, the field has made much less progress in attending to Weinreich's observation that language contact can best be understood only “in a broad psychological and socio-cultural setting” (Weinreich, 1953, p. 4). There have been some attempts to establish links between the disciplines that investigate language contact, for example, the psycholinguistic and sociolinguistic (Walters, 2005), and the linguistic and psycholinguistic (Myers-Scotton 2002, Winford 2009, among others). Yet, so far, no one has come close to achieving the kind of integrative, multi-disciplinary framework that Weinreich envisaged. Muysken's paper is therefore a welcome reminder of the need for such a framework, and the complexity of the task involved in constructing it, if indeed it can be accomplished. The introduction to the paper outlines a very ambitious objective – “to explore the possibility of unifying these fields, all different approaches to language contact, creating a single framework within which it is possible to link results from different subfields” (Section 1.1).

scholarly journals Social and Linguistic Factors as Predictors of Contact-Induced Change

2008 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 42-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Thomason
Keyword(s):  
Social Factors ◽  
Language Contact ◽  
Good Reason ◽  
Relative Impact ◽  
Relative Importance ◽  
Similar Statement ◽  
Social Predictors ◽  
The Social ◽  
Linguistic Constraints ◽  
Contact Situation

AbstractTwo claims made by Thomason & Kaufman (1988) have elicited particularly strong reactions from specialists in language contact: first, that there are no absolute linguistic constraints on the kinds or numbers of features that can be transferred from one language to another; and second, that when social factors and linguistic factors might be expected to push in opposite directions in a language contact situation, the social factors will be the primary determinants of the linguistic outcome. Both claims have frequently been challenged in recent years, for instance by Gillian Sankoff, Ruth King, and Carol Myers-Scotton. To some extent the challenges are based on a misunderstanding of our arguments; most seriously, some critics argue that we dismiss linguistic predictors as entirely irrelevant to an analysis of contact-induced change. Since we discussed linguistic as well as social predictors of contactinduced change, it isn't true that, as King 2002 puts it, we claimed that 'linguistic factors… play no role' in determining the outcome of language contact (and Sankoff 2001 has a similar statement). In part, however, the objections to our position are based on genuine theoretical and/or empirical disagreements between Thomason & Kaufman and their critics. This paper explores these disagreements in an effort to arrive at a better understanding of the relative importance of social and linguistic predictors in language contact situations. My main conclusions are these: although critics have made impressive contributions toward specifying linguistic predictors, there is still no good reason to abandon the Thomason & Kaufman position (mainly because it was much less extreme than some readers have assumed); and much more work needs to be done to make even rough predictions about the relative impact of particular social and linguistic factors, and their interactions, in particular contact situations.

From language mixing to fused lects: The process and its outcomes

2020 ◽  
pp. 136700692092494
Author(s):  
Peter Auer ◽  
Nikolay Hakimov
Keyword(s):  
Present Article ◽  
Language Contact ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Unified Framework ◽  
Central Concept ◽  
Linguistic Structure ◽  
Contact Linguistics ◽  
Language Mixing ◽  
Introductory Article

Objectives: In this introductory article, we advance a unified framework for analysis and interpretation of transfer of overt linguistic structure in language contact situations. Our goal is to demonstrate that fusion, a process whereby results of bilingual practices become grammaticized and conventionalized (see Auer 1999, 2014), is a gradient phenomenon, which applies to a large spectrum of language contact phenomena. Our additional objective is to situate the contributions to this special issue in the context of this approach. Design: The article defines fusion as a central concept underlying the proposed framework, identifies the basic dimensions of fusion and showcases its various outcomes by reviewing extensive contact linguistics literature and the contributions to this special issue. Data and Analysis: In our analysis of contact linguistic phenomena, we draw on available linguistic descriptions of pertinent contact varieties and bilingual practices. We examine these phenomena in terms of fusion and in relation to its three basic dimensions. Findings: This article shows that fusion, being a gradient multifaceted phenomenon, should be analyzed along the following dimensions: (a) the amount of structure affecting the receiving language, (b) the degree of sedimentation of bilingual patterns, (c) the degree of fusional compartmentalization. Significance: The present article identifies and describes manifold outcomes of fusion in terms of three basis dimensions. These dimensions enable one to distinguish fused lects from language mixing and other bilingual phenomena and need therefore be incorporated in future linguistic descriptions and analyses of fused lects.

Constraints on Contact-Induced Linguistic Change

2008 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-90 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernd Heine ◽  
Tania Kuteva
Keyword(s):  
Language Contact ◽  
Linguistic Change ◽  
Linguistic Feature ◽  
Linguistic Constraints

AbstractIn a recent paper on "Social and Linguistic Factors as Predictors of Contact-Induced Change" Thomason (2007) reiterates the claim made earlier by Thomason & Kaufman (1988) and others (e.g., Harris & Campbell 1995; Curnow 2001) that there are no linguistic constraints on interference in language contact, in that any linguistic feature can be transferred to any language, and any change can occur as a direct or indirect result of language contact, and she is satisfied to observe that all the specific constraints on contact-induced change that have been proposed have been counterexemplified.The present paper takes issue with this stance, arguing that it might be in need of reconsideration, in that there are in fact some constraints on contact-induced linguistic change. These constraints relate to grammatical replication, as it has been described in Heine & Kuteva (2003; 2005; 2006), thus lending further support to the generalizations on language contact proposed there.

scholarly journals Usage-Based Contact Linguistics: Effects of Frequency and Similarity in Language Contact

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 459-481
Author(s):  
Nikolay Hakimov ◽  
Ad Backus
Keyword(s):  
Language Contact ◽  
Theoretical Perspective ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Linguistic Change ◽  
Contact Linguistics ◽  
Usage Frequency ◽  
Introductory Article ◽  
Individual Contributions ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Linguistic Behavior

Abstract The influence of usage frequency, and particularly of linguistic similarity on human linguistic behavior and linguistic change in situations of language contact are well documented in contact linguistics literature. However, a theoretical framework capable of unifying the various explanations, which are usually couched in either structuralist, sociolinguistic, or psycholinguistic parlance, is still lacking. In this introductory article we argue that a usage-based approach to language organization and linguistic behavior suits this purpose well and that the study of language contact phenomena will benefit from the adoption of this theoretical perspective. The article sketches an outline of usage-based linguistics, proposes ways to analyze language contact phenomena in this framework, and summarizes the major findings of the individual contributions to the special issue, which not only demonstrate that contact phenomena are usefully studied from the usage-based perspective, but document that taking a usage-based approach reveals new aspects of old phenomena.

scholarly journals Two case studies on structural variation in multilingual settings

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 750
Author(s):  
Ariana Bancu
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Structural Properties ◽  
Language Contact ◽  
Structural Variation ◽  
Mixed Effects ◽  
The Other ◽  
Trajectories Of Change ◽  
Induced Variation ◽  
Shed Light

In this article, I report on two analyses of variation in Transylvanian Saxon (TrSax), an endangered Germanic language in contact with German and Romanian, used in settings predictive of structural influences among languages. My goals are to document the structural properties of the target variables and to evaluate if processes of language contact have an effect on synchronic variation in TrSax. I identified two areas of TrSax that display variation at the morphosyntactic level, and in each case one of the variants has a corresponding structure in German, while the other variant has a corresponding structure in Romanian. To tease apart contact-induced variation from internally motivated variation, I compare data from multilingual speakers with different linguistic profiles and assess the effect of sociolinguistic factors on variation through mixed effects analyses. Variation that patterns similarly across these two groups can provide a clearer account of the structure of TrSax, while differences between the groups can shed light on trajectories of change in TrSax. Furthermore, results of this study have implications for borrowing hierarchies in language contact.

scholarly journals Bound in Hatred: The role of group-based morality in acts of hate

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph Hoover ◽  
Mohammad Atari ◽  
Aida Mostafazadeh Davani ◽  
Brendan Kennedy ◽  
Gwenyth Portillo-Wightman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Language Processing ◽  
Spatial Modeling ◽  
Hate Speech ◽  
Moral Values ◽  
Unified Framework ◽  
Hate Groups ◽  
Marginalized Groups ◽  
Motivated Behaviors ◽  
The Relationship

Acts of hate have been used to silence, terrorize, and erase marginalized social groups throughout history. The rising rates of these behaviors in recent years underscores the importance of developing a better understanding of when, why, and where they occur. In this work, we present a program of research that suggests that acts of hate may often be best understood not just as responses to threat, but also as morally motivated behaviors grounded in people’s moral values and perceptions of moral violations. As evidence for this claim, we present findings from five studies that rely on a combination of natural language processing, spatial modeling, and experimental methods to investigate the relationship between moral values and acts of hate toward marginalized groups. Across these studies, we find consistent evidence that moral values oriented around ingroup preservation are disproportionately evoked in hate speech, predictive of the county-level prevalence of hate groups, and associated with the belief that acts of hate against marginalized groups are justified. Additional analyses suggest that the association between group-oriented moral values and hate acts against marginalized groups can be partly explained by the belief that these groups have done something morally wrong. By accounting for the role of moralization in acts of hate, this work provides a unified framework for understanding hateful behaviors and the events or dynamics that trigger them.

scholarly journals Bidirectionality of language contact: Spanish and Catalan vowels

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 159
Author(s):  
Annie Helms
Keyword(s):  
Social Factors ◽  
Language Contact ◽  
Balearic Islands ◽  
Production Data ◽  
Front Vowel ◽  
Vowel Production ◽  
Public Spheres ◽  
Disproportionate Number ◽  
Probabilistic Nature ◽  
Contact Effects

The disproportionate number of studies in Barcelona and the Balearic Islands observing Spanish contact effects in Catalan production, rather than Catalan contact effects in Spanish production, is an oversight of bidirectionality and the probabilistic nature of social factors in situations of language contact. Accordingly, the present study analyzes both Catalan and Spanish mid front vowel production data from Barcelona to investigate whether Catalan contact effects occur in Spanish via a process of dissimilation, and whether such effects are strengthened in younger speakers due to the relatively recent implementation of Catalan linguistic policy in the educational and public spheres. The results are suggestive of dissimilation, where phonetic distinctions are maintained between Spanish /e/ and the two Catalan mid front vowels across both F1 and F2. Additionally, analyses of variance across F1 and F2 reveal that Spanish /e/ productions across F1 are more diffuse in younger speakers and Catalan mid front vowels across F2 are less diffuse, providing evidence of reciprocity in contact effects. These results underscore the bidirectional nature of language contact and advocate for the use of variance of F1 and F2 as a metric of phonological contact effects.

Diachronic features of Romanian in a broader comparative setting

2019 ◽  
pp. 217-222
Author(s):  
Alexandru Nicolae
Keyword(s):  
Structural Properties ◽  
Word Order ◽  
Language Contact ◽  
Romance Languages ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Romance Language ◽  
Syntactic Theory ◽  
Syntactic Change ◽  
History Of ◽  
Diachronic Development

Chapter 6 highlights the novel theoretical and empirical facts brought about by the word order changes that occurring in the passage from old to modern Romanian, showing how the diachrony of Romanian may contribute to a better understanding of the history of the Romance languages and of the Balkan Sprachbund, as well as to syntactic theory and syntactic change in general. One important dimension of diachronic variation and change is the height of nouns and verbs along their extended projections (lower vs higher V- and N-movement). The two perspectives from which language contact proves relevant in the diachronic development of word order in Romanian, language contact by means of translation and areal language contact, are discussed. The chapter also addresses the issue of surface analogy vs deep structural properties; once again, Romanian emerges as a Romance language in a Balkan suit, as Romance deep structural properties are instantiated by means of Balkan word order patterns.

scholarly journals Be Relevant, Non-Redundant, and Timely: Deep Reinforcement Learning for Real-Time Event Summarization

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (05) ◽  
pp. 9410-9417
Author(s):  
Min Yang ◽  
Chengming Li ◽  
Fei Sun ◽  
Zhou Zhao ◽  
Ying Shen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reinforcement Learning ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Language Processing ◽  
Semantic Features ◽  
Unified Framework ◽  
Time Step ◽  
Dynamic Memory ◽  
The Arts ◽  
Real World Datasets ◽  
Event Summarization

Real-time event summarization is an essential task in natural language processing and information retrieval areas. Despite the progress of previous work, generating relevant, non-redundant, and timely event summaries remains challenging in practice. In this paper, we propose a Deep Reinforcement learning framework for real-time Event Summarization (DRES), which shows promising performance for resolving all three challenges (i.e., relevance, non-redundancy, timeliness) in a unified framework. Specifically, we (i) devise a hierarchical cross-attention network with intra- and inter-document attentions to integrate important semantic features within and between the query and input document for better text matching. In addition, relevance prediction is leveraged as an auxiliary task to strengthen the document modeling and help to extract relevant documents; (ii) propose a multi-topic dynamic memory network to capture the sequential patterns of different topics belonging to the event of interest and temporally memorize the input facts from the evolving document stream, avoiding extracting redundant information at each time step; (iii) consider both historical dependencies and future uncertainty of the document stream for generating relevant and timely summaries by exploiting the reinforcement learning technique. Experimental results on two real-world datasets have demonstrated the advantages of DRES model with significant improvement in generating relevant, non-redundant, and timely event summaries against the state-of-the-arts.

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