Title: Discretely continuous: How semantic maps affirm the intuitions and assertions of Cognitive Linguistics
1Discretely continuous How semantic maps affirm
the intuitions and assertions of Cognitive
Linguistics
- Steven Clancy
- Slavic Languages and Literatures
- University of Chicago
- SCLC-2007 University of Chicago
- October 12-14, 2008
2Criticisms (Janda forthcoming)
- different parameters
- apple is contained bowl
- apple is loose-fit bowl
- apple is concave valley facing bowl
- apple is belly bowl
- different means (evidentiality, verb vs.
satellite framed languages) - different metaphors, source domains
- a response much depends on how a researcher
uses, structures, and interprets the model
3Conceptual Space
lines show connected concepts geometric
arrangement is not specific distance between
concepts is not significant
4Semantic Map for Russian
5MDS
MDS multi-dimensional scaling mathematically
well-defined method for analyzing data organizes
patterns and connections in the
data Multidimensional, i.e., can be a 1, 2, 3...
dimensional analysis Example table of driving
distances between cities locations of cities are
not specified, only raw distances between the
cities
6MDS with Circle of Fifths
http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circle_of_fifths
7MDS
- MDS multidimensional scaling
- cutting lines (separate the yeas from the nays)
- polytopes (regions defined by the cutting lines)
- Croft and Poole (forthcoming) applies MDS
techniques to data sets from previous linguistic
analyses (Haspelmaths semantic map analysis of
indefinite pronouns, Levinson et al.s analysis
of spatial adpositions, and Dahls (1985)
analysis of tense and aspect - replicates the conceptual space of Haspelmath
- what was possible for a small data set
(Haspelmaths 9 functions can now be extended to
a much larger set of functions that would
otherwise be impossible to map
8Indefinite Pronouns in MDS
- connections are drawn in
- MDS-OC analysis produces specific geometric
arrangement - semantic distance between points is significant
- increased data/diversity provides greater
specificity - what do the XY dimensions mean?
9Indefinite Pronouns in MDS
from Croft and Poole (forthcoming)
10Indefinite Pronouns in MDS
from Croft and Poole (forthcoming)
11Semantic Map for Russian
12MDS Optimal Classification
- Pooles Optimal Classification method of MDS
- legislators are the functions can be
identified for any language (relatively finite) - language data are the roll calls (extendable)
- a legislator votes for or against a certain issue
- a function either participates or does not
participate in a construction with a case and/or
a preposition - binary (/- or 1/0) situation (coded as 1/6 by
Poole) - whats multi-dimensional in MDS?
- some linguistic problems are 1-D, most are 2-D,
some are likely 3-D strive for simplest
dimensionality that captures the data to be
analyzed
13Database in progress...
... 246 for Cz P, R
...
...
950-1200-1500?
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16Semantic Space of Slavic Case
17Semantic Space of Slavic Case
18flat vs. textured
19Discreteness vs. Continuity
- future applications of MDS-OC may allow for views
of semantic space that parallel zooming in on a
geographical map, e.g., Google Maps
Chicago University of
Chicago Slavic Department
- such applications may allow us to better approach
questions of discreteness and continuity in
language - DIRECTIONALITY gt DESTINATION gt SPECIFIC
DESTINATION - Russ v ACC
- Russ na ACC
- Russ k DAT
20Coding the functions
(see handout for languages and categories) DESTINA
TIONLOCATIONSOURCE R na ACC R na
LOC to on, at TOO MUCH (?) Russ ACC Russ
LOC R na R na R naACC R naLOC TOO
LITTLE (?) R naACC R naLOC JUST RIGHT (?)
Russ ACC Russ LOC R na R na
21Pan-Slavic destination-location-source
RUSS-CZEC-PLSH-SERB-CROA-SLVN
22Pan-Slavic destination-location-source
Russ DAT
Russ GEN
Russian
23Pan-Slavic destination-location-source
Czech DAT
Czech GEN
Czech
24PanSlavic destination-location-source
Polish GEN
Polish
25Slavic Case Systems
- The Case Book for Russian (2002)
- The Case Book for Czech (2006)
- The Case Book for Polish (forthcoming 2008)
- all books co-authored with Laura Janda
(UNC-Chapel Hill)
26The Russian Genitive
- Genitive a Whole
- of, possession, color
- prepositions and prepositional phrases expressing
of - numerals, quantifier words
- ?ÀÉÃÿÀœ skol'ko how many
- ŒÅ?ÀœÃÿÀœ neskol'ko some
- ??ÉÃÿÀœ stol'ko so many
- Ռɜ mnogo many/much
- ŒÕŒÉœ nemnogo not many/much
- ÕÄÃœ malo few/little
- ?ÉÃÿ? bol'e more
- ÕÅŒÿ? men'e fewer/less
- ŒÕÄÃœ nemalo not a few
- partitive genitive, some
27The Russian Genitive
- Genitive a Source
- / iz 'from'
- /-/ iz-za 'from beyond, because of'
- /-œƒ iz-pod 'from beneath'
- ? s 'from'
- œ? ot 'from'
- some verbs
- ?œÖ?ÿ?µ fear, be afraid
- /?Ä?ÿ//?Ä?ÿ avoid
- pÄ?ÿ?µ/?pÄ?ÿ?µ be frightened
- ???ŒÖ?ÿ?µ/œ???ŒÖ?ÿ?µ be shy
- ??ŸƒÇ?ÿ?µ/œ??ŸƒÇ?ÿ?µ be ashamed
28The Russian Genitive
lack, genitive of negation Œ ?ŸÃœ/Œ?/Œ
?pƒ? ne bylo/net/ne budet there was not/is
not/will not be some other expressions Ã?Ä?ÿ/Ã?
Ç?ÿ deprive Ã?Ä?ÿ?µ/Ã?Ç?ÿ?µ be
deprived Ã?ŒŒŸ deprived Œƒœ??Ä?œÀ
lack comparison ???? ÕŒµ stare menja
older than me
- Genitive a Reference
- dates
- ??œœ œ?Àµ??µ pervogo oktjabrja 'on the first
of October' - some prepositions
- ?/ without
- ?Œ outside of
- ?œÀ?Ñ around
- À?ÉÕ except, besides, aside from
- ÕÇÕœ by, past
- ÉÀœÃœ around approximately
- É?Ã after
- p u near, at, by
- p X-GEN (??ÿ est) Y-NOM
- by X is Y
- X has Y
- at so-and sos place
29The Russian Genitive
- Genitive a Goal
- some prepositions
- ƒœ do 'to, as far as before, until'
- ƒÃµ dlja 'for'
- ?ƒ radi 'for the sake of'
- ?œ?? protiv 'against'
- Ãÿ/ÃÀœ ?al'/?alko 'too bad, pity'
- some verbs
- ƒ?Ä?ÿ?µ hold to
- ƒœ??Ä?ÿ/ƒœ??ÇŒp?ÿ/ƒœ??Ç?ÿ
- attain, reach
- ÃÄ?ÿ/œÃÄ?ÿ desire, wish
- /?ÃÑ??ÿ//?ÃpÇ?ÿ
- deserve, merit
- À?Ä?ÿ?µ/Àœ?ŒÑ?ÿ?µ touch concern
30continuity in the networks
31A revision of the networks?
32BE in Slavic
33Rudes Circle
34Rudes Circle, Chvanys Revision
35Rudes Circle, MDS-OC
36BEING-BECOMING-UNBECOMING
37BE in Slavic (MDS-OC)
38BEING-BECOMING-UNBECOMING
CATEGORY BECOMING BEING UNBECOMING existence ?Ÿ?ÿ
, ??ÿ, Ø possession Õ?ÿ?µ creation ??œ??ÿ?µ ?
p???œ??ÿ life visibility, presence µ?õ?ÿ?µ ?
ƒ???õ?ÿ ?œ?œ accessibility Œœƒ?ÿ?µ motion
??p????œ??ÿ process position ??œµ?ÿ, ?ƒ?ÿ,
Ã?ÿ manipulation
39Caveats and Questions
- what will MDS do, what can it do?
- how to structure the data to take advantage of
MDS - what exactly are we modeling?
- is case sufficiently coherent as a system for an
MDS analysis? across Slavic? across languages
with morphological case? across languages in
general? - how do we compare case systems with systems using
word order? using prepositions? - expanding the database is necessary, but time
intensive - catching errors in the database
- how do we zoom in/out on regions generalized
functions/meanings vs. greater detail
40Hopes that MDS-OC will...
- provide a rigorous, mathematical model that
affirms the speculative, introspective models,
diagrams, and networks long in use by cognitive
linguists - e.g., will the case meanings of the Janda
Clancy Case Book series emerge in the conceptual
space - provide a means of tackling large-scale problems
that would be insoluble by introspective or
empirical means - reveal a conceptual space for the domain of case
(and adposition) functions across languages - allow for the extension of conceptual spaces to
other linguistic domains (verbal semantics,
aspect, modality) given proper structuring of the
data - reveal a coherent, universal conceptual space
that is carved up in a variety of ways across
languages - provide motivations for diachronic change in
measurable semantic proximity in the conceptual
space - provide a model for tracking and predicting
diachronic change as well as the effects of
language contact (e.g. Tenser (forthcoming) using
semantic maps to track language contact effects
in Romani dialects)
41For further information...
- contact Steven Clancy sclancy_at_uchicago.edu
- visit my website http//home.uchicago.edu/sclancy
- contribute to the multilingual database to be
established at the University of Chicago Center
for the Study of Languages http//languages.uchica
go.edu/projects
42Additional Materials
- the following slides contain supplementary
materials not presented in the full talk at the
SCLC-2007conference.
43directionality
scope
shaping
status
44directionality
quantification
marginality
45ACC
NOM???
GEN
DAT
GEN2
LOC
INST
LOC2
46Haspelmaths Semantic Map of Indefinite Pronouns
- (1) Specific known a specific referent whose
identity is known to the speaker (but not the
hearer) - Masha met with someone near the university.
- speaker knows who (46)
- (2) Specific unknown a specific referent whose
identity is unknown to both hearer and speaker - Masha met with somebody near the university.
- speaker has forgotten who (46)
- (3) Irrealis non-specific a referent (a manner
in this example) which does not have a specific
identity and exists only in a nonreal context - Visit me sometime. (42)
- Haspelmath (1997) in Croft and Poole
47Haspelmaths Semantic Map of Indefinite Pronouns
- (4) Question an unspecified referent in the
scope of interrogation (especially polar
interrogatives) - Can you hear anything? (36)
- (5) Conditional an unspecified referent in the
protasis in a conditional construction - If you hear anything, tell me. (36)
- (6) Indirect negation an unspecified referent
which is in a clause embedded in a negated clause - I dont think that anybody has seen it. (33)
- Haspelmath (1997) in Croft and Poole
48Haspelmaths Semantic Map of Indefinite Pronouns
- (7) Comparative an unspecified referent
occurring in the standard of comparison in a
comparative construction - The boy runs as fast as anyone in his class.
(35) - (8) Free choice an unspecified referent in
certain contexts whose identity can be freely
chosen without affecting the truth value of the
utterance - After the fall of the Wall, East Germans were
free to travel anywhere. (48) - (9) Direct negation an unspecified referent
which is in the scope of negation in the same
clause - I noticed nothing/I didnt see anything. (31-32)
- Haspelmath (1997) in Croft and Poole
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50MDS with driving distances
from Croft and Poole (forthcoming)
51MDS with driving distances
from Croft and Poole (forthcoming)
52MDS with politics
from Keith Pooles voteview.com
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