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

2016 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dirk Pijpops ◽  
Freek Van de Velde
Keyword(s):  
Crucial Role ◽  
Superficial Resemblance ◽  
Shallow Parsing ◽  
Corpus Data

AbstractIn 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

scholarly journals Constructional contamination in morphology and syntax

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 269-305 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dirk Pijpops ◽  
Isabeau De Smet ◽  
Freek Van de Velde
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Word Order ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Superficial Resemblance ◽  
Word Order Variation ◽  
Order Variation ◽  
Shallow Parsing ◽  
Second Degree

Abstract In every-day language use, two or more structurally unrelated constructions may occasionally give rise to strings that look very similar on the surface. As a result of this superficial resemblance, a subset of instances of one of these constructions may deviate in the probabilistic preference for either of several possible formal variants. This effect is called ‘constructional contamination’, and was introduced in Pijpops & Van de Velde (2016). Constructional contamination bears testimony to the hypothesis that language users do not always execute a full parse of the utterances they interpret, but instead often rely on ‘shallow parsing’ and the storage of large, unanalyzed chunks of language in memory, as proposed in Ferreira, Bailey, & Ferraro (2002), Ferreira & Patson (2007), and Dąbrowska (2014). Pijpops & Van de Velde (2016) investigated a single case study in depth, namely the Dutch partitive genitive. This case study is reviewed, and three new case studies are added, namely the competition between long and bare infinitives, word order variation in verbal clusters, and preterite formation. We find evidence of constructional contamination in all case studies, albeit in varying degrees. This indicates that constructional contamination is not a particularity of the Dutch partitive genitive but appears to be more wide-spread, affecting both morphology and syntax. Furthermore, we distinguish between two forms of constructional contamination, viz. first degree and second degree contamination, with first degree contamination producing greater effects than second degree contamination.

scholarly journals Analyzing free variation with harmony – A case study of verb-cluster serialization

2020 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 407-437
Author(s):  
Markus Bader
Keyword(s):  
Native Speakers ◽  
Initial Position ◽  
Experimental Results ◽  
Modal Verbs ◽  
Weighted Constraints ◽  
Corpus Data ◽  
Frequency Relationship ◽  
Zero Frequency ◽  
Free Variation

Abstract In German, a verb selected by another verb normally precedes the selecting verb. Modal verbs in the perfect tense provide an exception to this generalization because they require the perfective auxiliary to occur in cluster-initial position according to prescriptive grammars. Bader and Schmid (2009b) have shown, however, that native speakers accept the auxiliary in all positions except the cluster-final one. Experimental results as well as corpus data indicate that verb cluster serialization is a case of free variation. I discuss how this variation can be accounted for, focusing on two mismatches between acceptability and frequency: First, slight acceptability advantages can turn into strong frequency advantages. Second, syntactic variants with basically zero frequency can still vary substantially in acceptability. These mismatches remain unaccounted for if acceptability is related to frequency on the level of whole sentence structures, as in Stochastic OT (Boersma and Hayes2001). However, when the acceptability-frequency relationship is modeled on the level of individual weighted constraints, using harmony as link (see Pater2009, for different harmony based frameworks), the two mismatches follow given appropriate linking assumptions.

The traceback method and the early constructicon: theoretical and methodological considerations

2020 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikolas Koch ◽  
Stefan Hartmann ◽  
Antje Endesfelder Quick
Keyword(s):  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Child Language ◽  
Critical Evaluation ◽  
Methodological Choices ◽  
Corpus Data ◽  
Methodological Considerations ◽  
Language Corpus

AbstractUsage-based approaches assume that children’s early utterances are item-based. This has been demonstrated in a number of studies using the traceback method. In this approach, a small amount of “target utterances” from a child language corpus is “traced back” to earlier utterances. Drawing on a case study of German, this paper provides a critical evaluation of the method from a usage-based perspective. In particular, we check how factors inherent to corpus data as well as methodological choices influence the results of traceback studies. To this end, we present four case studies in which we change thresholds and the composition of the main corpus, use a cross-corpus approach tracing one child’s utterances back to another child’s corpus, and reverse and randomize the target utterances. Overall, the results show that the method can provide interesting insights—particularly regarding different pathways of language acquisition—but they also show the limitations of the method.

scholarly journals Cellular Automata as an Example for Advanced Beginners’ Level Coding Exercises in a MOOC on Test Driven Development

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 125 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Staubitz ◽  
Ralf Teusner ◽  
Christoph Meinel ◽  
Nishanth Prakash
Keyword(s):  
Cellular Automata ◽  
Crucial Role ◽  
Computer Programming ◽  
Good Practice ◽  
Experiential Knowledge ◽  
Suitable Candidate ◽  
Test Driven Development ◽  
Automated Evaluation ◽  
Programming Skills

Programming tasks are an important part of teaching computer programming as they foster students to develop essential programming skills and techniques through practice.  The design of educational problems plays a crucial role in the extent to which the experiential knowledge is imparted to the learner both in terms of quality and quantity. Badly designed tasks have been known to put-off students from practicing programming. Hence, there is a need for carefully designed problems. Cellular Automata programming lends itself as a very suitable candidate among problems designed for programming practice. In this paper, we describe how various types of problems can be designed using concepts from Cellular Automata and discuss the features which make them good practice problems with regard to instructional pedagogy. We also present a case study on a Cellular Automata programming exercise used in a MOOC on Test Driven Development using JUnit, and discuss the automated evaluation of code submissions and the feedback about the reception of this exercise by participants in this course. Finally, we suggest two ideas to facilitate an easier approach of creating such programming exercises.

scholarly journals Memory as a social and discursive practice in monuments. A case study of the Tapio Rautavaara Monument

1970 ◽  
pp. 29
Author(s):  
Tuuli Lähdesmäki
Keyword(s):  
Crucial Role ◽  
Discursive Practice ◽  
Historical Narratives ◽  
Imagined Community ◽  
The Past

Monuments are protagonists in many historical narratives. They “tell” fascinating stories of past times and past heroes and “advise” us to commemorate and reminisce. But who is actually doing the telling and to whom? How are the stories formed? In monuments the past and present, memory and history, meet in a complex way and form a structure of meanings reflecting the narratives and values of the so-called imagined community. Discursive and narrative practices play a crucial role in the formation and production of the meanings of monuments. 

Where Knowledge Management Resides within Project Management

2005 ◽  
pp. 138-154 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jill Owen ◽  
Frada Burstein
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Project Management ◽  
Knowledge Transfer ◽  
Tacit Knowledge ◽  
Crucial Role ◽  
Explicit Knowledge ◽  
Formal Knowledge ◽  
Engineering Consulting ◽  
Insight Into

This chapter explores how an engineering consulting company creates, manages, and reuses knowledge within its projects. It argues that the informal transfer and reuse of knowledge plays a more crucial role than formal knowledge in providing the greatest benefit to the organization. The culture of the organization encourages a reliance on networks (both formal and informal) for the exchange of tacit knowledge, rather than utilizing explicit knowledge. This case study highlights the importance of understanding the drivers of knowledge transfer and reuse in projects. This will provide researchers with an insight into how knowledge management integrates with project management.

scholarly journals Law and Norms in the Market Response to Discrimination in the Sharing Economy

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-28
Author(s):  
Naomi Schoenbaum
Keyword(s):  
Crucial Role ◽  
Sharing Economy ◽  
Market Response ◽  
Antidiscrimination Law ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Sharing-economy firms have opposed the application of antidiscrimination law to their transactions. At the same time, these firms have heralded their ability to achieve antidiscrimination aims without the force of law, and have adopted various measures to address discrimination. This Article documents and assesses these measures, focusing on the relationship between law and norms. Relying on the sharing economy as a case study, this Article shows how law can play a crucial role in spurring antidiscrimination efforts by firms that it does not regulate, but also how antidiscrimination law might nonetheless be undermined by these voluntary efforts.

Visualizing onomasiological change: Diachronic variation in metonymic patterns for woman in Chinese

2015 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 289-330 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weiwei Zhang ◽  
Dirk Geeraerts ◽  
Dirk Speelman
Keyword(s):  
Social Changes ◽  
Distance Calculation ◽  
Beautiful Woman ◽  
Innovative Method ◽  
Scaling Solution ◽  
History Of ◽  
Corpus Data ◽  
Historical Variation ◽  
Diachronic Changes

AbstractThis paper introduces an innovative method to aid the study of conceptual onomasiological research, with a specific emphasis on diachronic variation in the metonymic patterns with which a target concept is expressed. We illustrate how the method is applied to explore and visualize such diachronic changes by means of a case study on the metonymic patterns for woman in the history of Chinese. Visualization is done with the help of a Multidimensional Scaling solution based on the profile-based distance calculation (Geeraerts et al. 1999; Speelman et al. 2003) and by drawing diachronic trajectories in a set of MDS maps, corresponding to different metonymic targets. This method proves to be effective and feasible in detecting changes in the distribution of metonymic patterns in authentic historical corpus data. On the basis of this method, we can show that different targets exhibit different degrees of diachronic variation in their metonymic patterns. We find diachronically more stable targets (e.g. imperial woman), targets with a dominant trend in diachronic variation (e.g. a woman), and targets with highly fluctuating historical variation (e.g. beautiful woman). Importantly, we can identify the cultural and social changes that may lie behind some of these changes. Examining the results uncovered by the method offers us a better understanding of the dynamicity of metonymic conceptualizations.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document