Roland Mühlenbernd Introduction Motivation Universal Darwinism Studies: Overview Theories and Models of Language Change Homeworks Exercise I Session 2: Evolutionary Approaches to Language Change Linguistic Variation Variation and Change Linguistic Innovation Linguistic Selection Homeworks Roland Mühlenbernd April 28, 2015
Motivation Roland Mühlenbernd Introduction Motivation Universal Darwinism ◮ evolutionary models view language change as directed Studies: Overview Homeworks processes rather than arbitrary fluctuations Exercise I ◮ language change shows general pattern on a larger scale Linguistic Variation Variation and Change ◮ Georg von der Gabelentz (Die Sprachwissenschaft, 1891) Linguistic Innovation Linguistic Selection attributes most changes to two counteracting forces: strive Homeworks for brevity and need for clarity ◮ opposed selective pressures ◮ “brevity” leads to reduced variants and overuses of the same lexical form(s) ◮ “expressiveness” invites to move from one set of lexical forms to another
Morphological Basics Roland Mühlenbernd A morpheme is Introduction ◮ smallest grammatical unit in a Motivation Universal Darwinism language Examples: Studies: Overview Homeworks ◮ can be classified between free ◮ dog-house Exercise I and bound Linguistic Variation ◮ un-happy Variation and Change ◮ free morphemes can be arranged Linguistic Innovation ◮ group-s-’s’ Linguistic Selection as compounds Homeworks ◮ bound morphemes ◮ probe-able-ly ◮ can be classified as ◮ under-estimate-ing derivational (change word ◮ un-believe-able meaning or class) and inflectional (modify a word’s ◮ Wäld-er-n number/case/tense without ◮ fan-bloody-tastic modifying meaning or class) ◮ appear as affixes (prefix, suffix, infix) ◮ can change the root
Spiral Model of von der Gabelenz (1891) Roland Mühlenbernd Introduction Motivation Universal Darwinism Studies: Overview Homeworks Exercise I Linguistic Variation Variation and Change Linguistic Innovation Linguistic Selection Homeworks
Biological VS Cultural Evolution Roland Mühlenbernd Introduction Motivation ◮ language as mental capacity evolved according to Universal Darwinism Studies: Overview biologically evolutionary processes Homeworks ◮ language change is viewed as being a part of cultural Exercise I Linguistic Variation evolution Variation and Change Linguistic Innovation Linguistic Selection Homeworks
Universal Darwinism Roland Mühlenbernd Introduction Motivation ◮ Universal Darwinism stands for general evolutionary Universal Darwinism Studies: Overview mechanisms: variation, selection and self-replication Homeworks Exercise I ◮ biological and cultural (also linguistic) evolution, both are Linguistic Variation manifestations of these mechanisms Variation and Change Linguistic Innovation Linguistic Selection Homeworks
Universal Darwinism Roland Mühlenbernd Introduction Motivation Universal Darwinism Studies: Overview Dennett’s conditions for evolution: Homeworks Exercise I 1. variation : continuing abundance of different elements Linguistic Variation 2. replication : elements have capacity to create copies Variation and Change Linguistic Innovation Linguistic Selection 3. differential “fitness” : number of copies of element Homeworks depending on interaction between element features and environmental features (selection) Does this hold for language change? Explain exemplary.
Language Change - Broad and Narrow Sense Roland Mühlenbernd Introduction Motivation Universal Darwinism Studies: Overview Homeworks Exercise I Linguistic Variation Variation and Change Linguistic Innovation Linguistic Selection Homeworks
Exercise I Roland Mühlenbernd Introduction Motivation Universal Darwinism Studies: Overview What are - according to Dennett (1995) - the three conditions Homeworks that evolution occurs? Exercise I Linguistic Variation ◮ Variation √ Variation and Change Linguistic Innovation ◮ Fitness (Selection) √ Linguistic Selection Homeworks ◮ Replication √ ◮ Mutation ◮ Imitation ◮ Invasion
Exercise II Roland Mühlenbernd Introduction Motivation Universal Darwinism Studies: Overview Homeworks Exercise I What replicates - according to Dawkins (1976) - in cultural Linguistic Variation evolution (as counterpart to genes in biological evolution)? Variation and Change Linguistic Innovation Linguistic Selection ◮ Memes √ Homeworks ◮ Ideas ◮ Linguistic items
Exercise III Roland Mühlenbernd Introduction Motivation Anette Rosenbach presents a number of different studies that Universal Darwinism Studies: Overview incorporate evolutionary approaches to language change. Homeworks Assign the following references (author and year) to the Exercise I Linguistic Variation according topic under investigation. Variation and Change Linguistic Innovation 1. language change in the broad sense Linguistic Selection ◮ emergence of linguistic diversity (Nettle 1999a) Homeworks ◮ emergence of linguistic universals ◮ phonetically motivated sound change (Blevin 2004) ◮ typological case-marking systems (Jäger 2007) ◮ universal word order preferences (Kirby 1999) 2. language change in the narrow sense ◮ word order change in the history of English (Clark 2004)
Variation and Change Roland Mühlenbernd Introduction Motivation Universal Darwinism Studies: Overview Homeworks Exercise I Linguistic Variation “[n]ot all variability and heterogeneity in language Variation and Change Linguistic Innovation structure involves change; but all change involves Linguistic Selection variability and heterogeneity” Homeworks Labov and Herzog, 1968
Variation and Change Roland Mühlenbernd Introduction Motivation Universal Darwinism Studies: Overview Homeworks ◮ Labov and Herzog (1968) distinguish between the Exercise I emergence of a new variant from their spread through the Linguistic Variation Variation and Change speech community Linguistic Innovation Linguistic Selection ◮ Both processes essentially mirror variation and selection: Homeworks new variants come into use, and selectional pressures lead to their replication ◮ But how does variation comes about? How does linguistic innovation arise?
Linguistic Innovation and Actuation Roland Mühlenbernd Introduction ◮ Linguistic research has primarily addressed the Motivation Universal Darwinism spread/propagation of change rather than its innovation Studies: Overview ◮ Notable exception: Milroy & Milroy 1985; Milroy 1992 Homeworks Exercise I address the process of actuation in terms of Linguistic Variation social-network analysis 1 Variation and Change Linguistic Innovation ◮ New variants may emerge for various reasons, but they Linguistic Selection Homeworks only turn into a change once they come to bear on the linguistic system ◮ Actuation is the minimal step an innovation needs to become a change ◮ Croft (2000) distinguishes between creation ( innovation / actuation ) and diffusion ( propagation ) of a new form ◮ Note: it’s only the successful innovation that we register 1 Note that innovation and actuation are two separate processes.
Linguistic Selection Roland Mühlenbernd Introduction Motivation Universal Darwinism Studies: Overview Homeworks Exercise I Linguistic Variation Variation and Change Question: is linguistic selection rather driven by Linguistic Innovation Linguistic Selection functional or social factors? Homeworks
Homeworks Roland Mühlenbernd Introduction Motivation Universal Darwinism Studies: Overview Homeworks Exercise I Linguistic Variation ◮ Read the article ‘Language change as cultural evolution: Variation and Change Linguistic Innovation Evolutionary approaches to language change’(Rosenbach, Linguistic Selection 2008), Sections 4.1 - 4.2 (pages 31 - 47) Homeworks ◮ solve the appropriate exercises given on ILIAS
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