MULTI-FACTORIAL CHOICES IN SPEAKING

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MULTI-FACTORIAL CHOICES IN SPEAKING

• Andrej A. Kibrik
• (Institute of Linguistics, Russian Academy of
  Sciences)
• kibrik_at_comtv.ru

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CHOICE

• As people speak, they constantly make choices
• There are several (partially overlapping) types
  of choices involved

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Unique choice

• Choosing a lexical item to describe ones own
  emotion
• I am glad (OKhappy, ??joyful, amused) you are
  willing to attend our workshop

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Prompted choice

• Language prompts its speakers to focus on certain
  aspects of meaning that must be expressed in this
  or that way
• Example if a language has the category of
  number, each noun in discourse must be specified
  for number, even if that is not particularly
  relevant

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Prompted choice

• Language prompts its speakers to focus on certain
  aspects of meaning that must be expressed in this
  or that way
• Example if a language has the category of
  number, each noun in discourse must be specified
  for number, even if that is not particularly
  relevant
• Cf. Jakobsons notion of grammatical category and
  Slobins Thinking for speaking framework

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Forced choice

• Some linguistic elements require other linguistic
  elements
• Example
• verb V in language L requires a direct object
• even there is no semantic need to use an overt
  object NP the speaker inserts a dummy element
  there
• If you dont have a ticket, you should get one
• cf. Russian Esli u vas net bileta, vam nuzhno
  kupit __

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Probabilistic choice

• differs from any of the listed types
• is very little acknowledged in linguistics
• there always exist some borderline situations in
  which more than one option can be used

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Features of probabilistic choice

• the speaker chooses between two or more options
  from a fixed repertoire
• the choice cannot be reduced to one factor
  governing it but depends on multiple factors
• various factors interact in a certain way and
  give rise to a cumulative resultant decision
• the choice is cognitively motivated it can be
  linked to a higher-order cognitive function

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Example 1. Referential choice full noun phrase
vs. pronoun

• In Cheney's narrative, Russia was a blooming
  democracy during the 1990s, but in recent years
  it has turned into a sinister dictatorship where
  people live in fear. In castigating Vladimir
  Putin, Cheney believes that he is speaking for
  the Russian masses. He fancies himself as Reagan
  at the Berlin wall. Except he isn't. Had Cheney
  done his homework and consulted a few opinion
  polls, which are extensive and reliable in
  Russia, he would have discovered that Putin has a
  75 percent approval rating, about twice that of
  President Bush.
• Newsweek, May 29, 2006

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Example 1. Referential choice full noun phrase
vs. pronoun

• In Cheney's narrative, Russia was a blooming
  democracy during the 1990s, but in recent years
  it has turned into a sinister dictatorship where
  people live in fear. In castigating Vladimir
  Putin, Cheney believes that he is speaking for
  the Russian masses. He fancies himself as Reagan
  at the Berlin wall. Except he isn't. Had Cheney
  done his homework and consulted a few opinion
  polls, which are extensive and reliable in
  Russia, he would have discovered that Putin has a
  75 percent approval rating, about twice that of
  President Bush.
• Newsweek, May 29, 2006

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Referential choice

• overwhelming character (40 out of 89 words)
• multiple factors
• distance to prior mention
• role of prior mention
• animacy
• .
• cumulative effect leading to a resultant choice
• overarching cognitive domain activation in the
  speakers working memory
• probabilistic

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Referential choice is probabilistic

• In Cheney's narrative, Russia was a blooming
  democracy during the 1990s, but in recent years
  it has turned into a sinister dictatorship where
  people live in fear. In castigating Vladimir
  Putin, Cheney believes that he is speaking for
  the Russian masses. He fancies himself as Reagan
  at the Berlin wall. Except he isn't. Had Cheney
  done his homework and consulted a few opinion
  polls, which are extensive and reliable in
  Russia, he would have discovered that Putin has a
  75 percent approval rating, about twice that of
  President Bush.
• Newsweek, May 29, 2006

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Example 2. Finite vs. non-finite predicate form
in Karachay-Balkar

• men bar-a-ma,
• I go-Pres-1Sg
• birinci kUn bar-a-ma da qaSXataw-Ra,
• first day go-Pres-1Sg and Qashxataw-Dat
• qal-a-ma kece zuwuq-lar-ybyz-da.
• stay-Pres-1Sg night relative-Pl-1Pl-Loc
• I start off, on the first day go to Qashxataw,
  stay overnight with our relatives

FINITE VERB FORMS
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Example 2. Finite vs. non-finite predicate form
in Karachay-Balkar

• eSek any eSt-xen-lej,
• donkey him hear-Pf-Compar
• qulaq-lar-y-n da turRuz-up,
• ear-Pl-3-Acc and erect-Conv
• ijgi ajaq al-yp,
• well legs gather-Conv
• terk qaty caf-Xal-laj tebre-gen-di.
• fast strong run-Pf-Compar begin-Pf-3
• As soon as the donkey heard it, he erected his
  ears, speeded up, and started running very fast

NON-FINITE VERB FORMS
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Finite vs. non-finite clause form

• overwhelming character in narrative
• multiple factors
• purely temporal vs. causal-temporal connection to
  the next event
• position in the chain of events
• .
• cumulative effect leading to a resultant decision
• overarching cognitive domain cognitive
  connectedness, affiliation with a higher order
  event
• probabilistic

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Clause form choice is probabilistic
Original Prognosis FC LX ZB MX
they added more people to him, Fin Fin Non-Fin Fin Fin Fin
found him a wife, Fin Fin Non-Fin Fin Fin Fin
and a village formed there Fin Fin Fin Fin Fin
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Example 3. Direction of pitch in accent
(Russian) rising vs. falling

• ..(0.3) ?????????? ?? ???? /???????,
• We watched that /concert,
• ..(0.1) ????-?? \???-???.
• (and) went \somewhere.
• ...(0.6) ??? ..(0.3) ??(0.3) ..(0.4) ?? ?????????
  ??? /???? ? ??????,
• Then we meet my /mom with my dad,
• ...(0.6) \??????-??,
• from \somewhere,
• ...(0.9) ? ' ..(0.3) ?? ' ..(0.4) ????-??
  \???????.
• and we started for some \place.

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Direction of pitch in accent

• overwhelming character
• multiple factors
• whether the discourse unit in question is the
  terminal one in an illocutionary act or
  sentence
• if yes, which illocutionary meaning it bears
• if not, what pitch direction is projected for the
  nuclear accent of the following EDU
• whether the current EDU is in the mainline of
  discourse or is a postpositional addendum
  (elaboration) to the previous EDU
• .
• cumulative effect leading to a resultant choice
• overarching cognitive domain the hypercategory
  of phase, or transitional continuity the
  role of the current discourse unit in the on-line
  communicative flow of discourse
• probabilistic

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Direction of pitch in accent is probabilistic

• ...(0.6) ??? ..(0.3) ??(0.3) ..(0.4) ?? ?????????
  ??? /???? ? ??????,
• Then we meet my /mom with my dad,

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Direction of pitch in accent is probabilistic

• ...(0.6) ??? ..(0.3) ??(0.3) ..(0.4) ?? ?????????
  ??? \?? ?? ? ??????,
• Then we meet my /mom with my dad,

• If this kind of online correction is possible,
  this demonstrates that there is a zone in which a
  decision on the choice is fairly hard to arrive
  at.

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Further features of multi-factorial,
probabilistic choices

• Can be very quick
• Routinized
• Hardly consciously made
• But very efficient and very important
• lack of the ability to perform aforementioned
  choices would mean a real aphasia
• Dont have to be discrete, can be continuous

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Role of choice in language

• Grammar can be viewed as a system guiding various
  linguistic choices
• I find it surprising that the notion of choice is
  not salient in discussions of language production

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Questions for interdisciplinary discussion

• Is the notion of choice important to other
  cognitive domains besides language?
• Is the notion of choice useful for the general
  enterprise of cognitive science?
• Cf. behavioral analogs of linguistic
  mini-choices
• braking or accelerating in driving
• using right or left hand when reaching for an
  object
• order of biting and supping during a meal
• In psychology, choice and decision making are
  mostly discussed in the context of complex
  cognitive processes that involve reasoning

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Occasional usage in psychology

• For example, a boxer facing an opponent who can
  attack with the left or right fist must make a
  fast decision about what to do. In situations
  like this, the choice reaction time is
  substantially longer, mainly reflecting the
  increased processing demands associated with
  selecting and programming the appropriate
  action.
• (Jos J. Adam and Martinus J. Bueckers. Action.
  In Encyclopedia of Cognitive Science. London
  Nature Publishing Group. 2003. Vol. 1, pp.
  14-20).

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Concluding suggestions

• Speech, and behavior in general, are full of
  making choices
• It is important to explore the types of choices
  and their characteristic properties
• Particularly interesting are multi-factorial
  choices as they present a big challenge to our
  explanatory models
• A theory is necessary of how the relevant factors
  interact and how their differential weights give
  rise to a resultant net effect

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Making the right choice is important
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Sometimes it is really probabilistic
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But not making a choice can even be lethal
Buridans ass