Discretely continuous: How semantic maps affirm the intuitions and assertions of Cognitive Linguistics

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Discretely 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

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Criticisms (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

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Conceptual Space
lines show connected concepts geometric
arrangement is not specific distance between
concepts is not significant
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Semantic Map for Russian
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MDS
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
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MDS with Circle of Fifths
http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circle_of_fifths
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MDS

• 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

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Indefinite 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?

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Indefinite Pronouns in MDS
from Croft and Poole (forthcoming)
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Indefinite Pronouns in MDS
from Croft and Poole (forthcoming)
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Semantic Map for Russian
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MDS 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

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Database in progress...
... 246 for Cz P, R
...
...
950-1200-1500?
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Semantic Space of Slavic Case
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Semantic Space of Slavic Case
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flat vs. textured
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Discreteness 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

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Coding 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
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Pan-Slavic destination-location-source
RUSS-CZEC-PLSH-SERB-CROA-SLVN
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Pan-Slavic destination-location-source
Russ DAT
Russ GEN
Russian
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Pan-Slavic destination-location-source
Czech DAT
Czech GEN
Czech
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PanSlavic destination-location-source
Polish GEN
Polish
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Slavic 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)

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The 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

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The 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

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The 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

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The 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

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continuity in the networks
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A revision of the networks?
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BE in Slavic
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Rudes Circle
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Rudes Circle, Chvanys Revision
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Rudes Circle, MDS-OC
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BEING-BECOMING-UNBECOMING
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BE in Slavic (MDS-OC)
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BEING-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
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Caveats 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

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Hopes 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)

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For 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

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Additional Materials

• the following slides contain supplementary
  materials not presented in the full talk at the
  SCLC-2007conference.

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directionality
scope
shaping
status
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directionality
quantification
marginality
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ACC
NOM???
GEN
DAT
GEN2
LOC
INST
LOC2
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Haspelmaths 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

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Haspelmaths 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

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Haspelmaths 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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MDS with driving distances
from Croft and Poole (forthcoming)
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MDS with driving distances
from Croft and Poole (forthcoming)
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MDS with politics
from Keith Pooles voteview.com
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