bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Variation and change in Old English clause structure
Authors: Pintzuk Susan 
Published: November 2008

ABSTRACTIn most recent analyses of Old English syntax, the position of the finite verb is derived by different processes in main clauses (verb seconding) than in subordinate clauses (postposition, verb raising, verb projection raising). In this article, it is argued on the basis of distributional evidence that the position of the finite verb in Old English clauses reflects synchronic variation in underlying structure, INFL-medial versusinfl-final, and that the syntax of main and subordinate clauses is the same. Quantitative analysis of the data shows that the frequency ofinfl-medial structure increases at the expense ofinfl-final structure during the Old English period, and that the rate of change is the same in both clause types. This result supports the structural analysis and provides further evidence for the Constant Rate Hypothesis of Kroch (1989, 1995).
Quantitative areal analysis of dialect features
Authors: Kretszchmar William A. 
Published: November 2008

ABSTRACTTraditional notions of dialect are qualitative, and perceived dialects are difficult to reconcile with the evidence of actual production of dialect feature. Traditional dialect boundaries are similarly tied to qualitative judgements. More recently, various quantitative approaches have been attempted to try to capture dialect boundaries, each with its won problems. We have achieved some success with an objective quantitative analysis of separate dialect features from the Linguistic Atlas of the Middle and South Atlantic States (LAMSAS). Our findings suggest that a mathematical modeling of areal variation of dialect features, combined with a reassessment of traditional notions of dialect, could contribute to our knowledge of language, as well as document regional differences at the time of the LAMSAS survey.
Null objects in English recipes
Authors: Culy Christopher 
Published: November 2008

ABSTRACTRecipes exhibit a phenomenon that does not exist in other varieties that are commonaly studied (e.g., narrative, sentences in isolation, conversational discourse, etc.)—namely, zero anaphors as direct objects, as inBeat[ø]until stiff. The two goals of this article are to examine this phenomenon in both contemporary recipes and across time and to explore its consequences for linguistic theroy. It is found that stylistic, semantic, and discourse factors are the most important in the phenomenon, with syntax and morphology playing relatively minor roles. Furthermore, these zero anaphors pattern like overt pronouns and have in fact replaced overt pronouns over time. A preliminary model of register variation and its consequences for the synactic analysis of recipes are also presented.
Infinitival relative clauses in spoken discourse
Authors: Geisler Christer 
Published: November 2008

ABSTRACTThis article concerns infinitival relative clauses, such asMary is the person to ask, and their distribution in spoken English. It analyzes the correlation between the function of the antecedent in the relative clause and the function of the whole postmodified NP (the relative complex) in the matrix clause. On the basis of a quantitative analysis of a corpus of spoken British English, I show that the grammatical function of the antecedent in the infinitival relative clause depends on the function of the antecedent in the matrix clause. I argue that the distribution of antecedent functions in the matrix clause can be explained in terms of thematic properties and information structure of the clauses in which the infinitival relatives occur. A key notion is that speakers center their discourse around information that they assume to be important for the communicative event.
A variable syntax of speech, gesture, and sound effect: Direct quotations in Spanish
Authors: Cameron Richard 
Published: November 2008

ABSTRACTA variationist account of how direct quotations are framed in spoken Spanish requires definition of the variable and the envelope of variation followed by investigation of linguistic, stylistic, and social constraints. The variable is defined as a set of three strategies for directly quoting the speech, gestures, and sound effects of people, animals, or things in the natural world, real or imagined, faithfully or not. These strategies involve verbs of direct report, a bare noun phrase (Y yo, “¡¿Ay qué hago?!” ‘And I, “Oh, what should I do?’), and freestanding quotation with no frame. Investigation of linguistic constraints finds influence both from within and above the sentence. These include clause type, person, number, animacy of speaker, quotation content, switch reference, and a “birds of a feather” effect. Data on stylistic constraints provide evidence for style as a function of attention to form. Social constraints reveal complicated, yet familiar influences of age, sex, and class, with teenagers showing parallels to Eckert's work on gender and variation. Evidence also emerges for both age grading and a change in progress.
The development of the progressive in 19th century English: A quantitative survey
Authors: Arnaud René 
Published: November 2008

ABSTRACTThe prodigious expansion of the progressive (be + ingperiphrastic form, wherebeis at the same time the copula and a statement of existence) was a major feature of the modernization of the English verb system in the 19th century, when its frequency quadrupled. A survey (1787–1880) of the collections of private letters from 22 people, most of them famous writers, reveals that linguistic factors played a relatively small quantitative role in this development, whereas a clear correlation is found with two sociolinguistic factors: gender and intimacy. Frequencies are consistently higher for women than for men, and they increase with more intimate correspondents. Some parallels with biographical and literary data suggest that the Romantic vision, in a wide sense, may have contributed to the rise of this concrete, expressive, warmer existential form.
The birth of a variant: Evidence for a tripartite negative past be paradigm
Authors: Hazen Kirk 
Published: November 2008

ABSTRACTIn the study of past be, most researchers have assumed a two variant distinction for negative forms (i.e., wasn't and weren't). In Warren County, North Carolina, evidence suggests a three variant distinction (i.e., wasn't, weren't, and wont). Throughout the history of sociolinguistic investigation, two types of variants have been noted: a sociolinguistic variant and a linguistic variant. In Warren County, wont functions as both types, as demonstrated through acoustic, morphophonological, and sociolinguistic evidence. Through the analysis of negative past be, guidelines are suggested for determining a particular form as a separate linguistic and sociolinguistic variant.
Let's tink about dat: Interdental fricatives in Cajun English
Authors: Dubois Sylvie , Horvath Barbara M. 
Published: November 2008

ABSTRACTThe English of bilingual Cajuns living in southern Louisiana has been pejoratively depicted as an accented English; foremost among the stereotypes of Cajun English is the use of tink and dat for think and that. We present a variationist study of /θ/ and /ð/ in the speech of bilingual Cajuns in St. Landry Parish. The results show a complex interrelationship of age, gender, and social network. One of the major findings is a v-shaped age pattern rather than the regular generational model that is expected. The older generation use more of the dental variants [t, d] than all others, the middle-aged dramatically decrease their use, but the young show a level of usage closer to the old generation. The change is attributed to both language attrition and the blossoming of the Cajun cultural renaissance. Interestingly, neither young men in open networks nor women of all ages in open networks follow the v-shaped age pattern. In addition, they show opposite directions of change: men in open networks lead the change to [d], whereas women in open networks drop the dental variants of [t, d] almost entirely.
From a small Swedish town to a Finnish city
Authors: Paunonen Heikki 
Published: November 2008

ABSTRACTThe development of language conditions in Helsinki makes it possible to observe many processes of sociolinguistic interest. By European standards, the beginning itself is exceptional. Helsinki was originally founded in the middle of a Swedish-speaking area, which means that it lacked all natural connections with any basis of Finnish dialect from which urban colloquial language and standard spoken Finnish might have emerged. However, throughout the 20th century Helsinki has been the most important Finnish-speaking city, and its colloquial Finnish has served as a model for the evolution of colloquial Finnish throughout the country. One may well wonder how colloquial Helsinki Finnish came into existence in the course of only a few decades and consolidated its position as the model for everyday Finnish.
Filling syntactic boundaries in spoken Brazilian Portuguese
Authors: Tarallo Fernando , Kato Mary A. 
Published: November 2008

ABSTRACTWe present results on the grammar of spoken Brazilian Portuguese, focusing on the syntactic boundaries of the main constituents of an utterance. The purpose of examining such sites is twofold: (1) to provide evidence as to the relationship (or mutual exclusion) between boundary and type of filler, and (2) to determine the relationship between boundary and frequency of filling. We find major differences both in the distribution of filling by syntactic adjuncts versus discourse elements and in the susceptibility of different syntactic boundaries to be filled. We discuss the lack of demographic conditioning on the rate of filling.
Anaphoric reference in creoles and noncreoles
Authors: Escure Geneviève 
Published: November 2008

ABSTRACTAnaphoric referential mechanisms are comparatively analyzed in a creole-related set of varieties (the Belizean continuum) and a noncreole language variety (formal and informal styles of American English), with the intent to evaluate the claim that creole languages display linguistic systems distinct from those of other languages. Three categories of topic referents (nominal, pronominal, and periphrastic) are identified in 27 Belizean texts and 12 American texts, and the effect on referent choice of two variables (topic number and stylistic/lectal context) are investigated. Some of the resulting findings inclued: (1) Singl-topic samples display consistent referential strategies in all Belizean lects, whereas multitopic texts indicate lect-linked variations; and (2) Belizean lects are strikingly similar to spontaneous styles of American English, whereas formal American English is markedly distinct in its use of referents, both from Belizean (including acrolects) and from casual English.
The rate of phrase structure change in the history of Yiddish
Authors: Santorini Beatrice 
Published: November 2008

ABSTRACTThe postion of inflected verbs in early Yiddish varies between second position and positions later in the clause. Standard distributional tests establish that this reflects variation in the underlying position of infl, and that Yiddish phrase structure changed from infl-final to infl-medial. Based on clauses containing the relevant structural diagnostics, we can estimate the rate of this change. We cannot, however, determine the phrase structure of structurally ambiguous clauses (i.e., those superficially consistent with either of the phrase structures) with certainty. Nevertheless, we can use quantitative methods to estimate the likelihood of such clauses being infl-medial, and we can then use these likelihoods to provide an additional estimate of the rate of the change. Comparing both estimates reveals that they do not differ significantly. The implications of this result are briefly examined in conclusion.
Ambiguous agreement, functional compensation, and nonspecifictúin the Spanish of San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Madrid, Spain
Authors: Cameron Richard 
Published: November 2008

ABSTRACTRichness of subject-verb agreement is implicit in the functional compensation interpretation of variable second person /-s/ in Puerto Rican Spanish (PRS). Because /-s/ is not variable in Madrid Spanish (MS), richer agreement is assumed, and a lower rate of pronominal expression is expected. Central to this interpretation are effects associated with ambiguous marking of person on finite singular verbs. Although an increase of pronominal expression correlates to ambiguous marking for PRS speakers, a similar result has not been reported for MS speakers. Nonetheless, avarbrulanalysis yields similar weights for this constraint in both dialects. Moreover, ambiguity effects are best understood as constraints on null subject variation that interact with switch reference. Identity ofvarbrulweights for constraints on pronominal and null subject variation in PRS and MS also supports the Constant Rate Hypothesis. However, the two dialects do show a diametrically opposed effect associated with nonspecifictú.
“The black men has wives and Sweet harts [and third person plural -s] Jest like the white men”: Evidence for verbal -s from written documents on 19th-century African American speech
Authors: Montgomery Michael , Fuller Janet M. , DeMarse Sharon 
Published: November 2008

ABSTRACTThe analysis of letters written by 19th-century African Americans shows constraints on verbal -s marking which parallel those found in the writing of Scotch-Irish immigrants in the same time period and region, specifically a subject type constraint and a proximity to subject constraint. This correlation is highly suggestive for the study of the development of African American Vernacular English (AAVE). This study finds no support for a basis from a creole or from Standard English for AAVE in verbal concord and concludes that some, perhaps many, African Americans used varieties of English with little or no creole influence. Earlier studies have assumed that standard dialects of English constituted the superstrate in colonial and antebellum America; this analysis makes it clear that we must examine the features of the local varieties, black and white, before making any claims about the influences of language contact on a given variety. Further, the consistent patterns of inflections found in this study show that written documents, in particular letters written by semiliterate African Americans, are a good source for further linguistic study of 19th-century language.
Some patterns of linguistic diffusion
Authors: Bailey Guy , Wikle Tom , Tillery Jan , Sand Lori 
Published: November 2008

ABSTRACTAlthough variationists have explored the diffusion of linguistic changes from one social group to another and from one linguistic environment to another in some detail, they have done much less work on the spatial diffusion of changes. In fact, Trudgill's (1974, 1975) use of Hagerstrand's gravity model to explain in hierarchical diffusion of innovations in East Anglia and Norway was the only systematic account of spatial diffusion in the literature. This article uses data from the random sample telephone survey portion of a Survey of Oklahoma Dialects (SOD) to explore the spatial diffusion of linguistic innovations in Oklahoma. It analyzes that data using a variety of techniques of computer cartography and the General Linear Models procedure in SAS. The data clearly show that, whereas some linguistic innovations diffuse hierarchically (as linguists have long contended), others diffuse contrahierarchically, while still others diffuse in complex patterns that show characteristics of both contagious and hierarchical diffusion. An analysis of the barriers to and amplifiers of diffusion suggests that these different types of diffusion are a consequence of the different social meanings that linguistic forms carry.
The change from SOV to SVO in Ancient Greek
Authors: Taylor Ann 
Published: November 2008

ABSTRACTAlthough the order of major sentence constituents at all stages of Ancient Greek is quite free, the distribution of clause types is not random over time, but changes from predominantly verb-final to predominantly verb-medial, suggesting a change in progress. Using the paradigm of Kroch (1989), in which it is assumed that syntactic change involves competition between grammatical systems, two models are constructed, one for the verb-final grammar of the Homeric period (pre-800 B.C.) and one for the verb-medial grammar of the Hellenistic Koiné (c. 100 A.D.). The language of an intermediate stage (Herodotus, c. 450 B.C.) is shown to pattern in part like Homer and in part like the Koiné. More strikingly, the ratio of verb-final to verb-medial structure that best fits the distribution of clause types found in Herodotus is extremely close to an independent measure of this ratio obtained from the distribution of weak pronouns and clitics.
Modeling lexical borrowability
Authors: van Hout Roeland , Muysken Pieter 
Published: November 2008

ABSTRACTIn this article, we develop analytical techniques to determine borrowability – that is, the ease with which a lexical item or a category of lexical items can be borrowed. The analysis is based on two assumptions: (1) the distribution of items in both the host and donor language should be taken into account to explain why certain items are, and others are not, borrowed; (2) the borrowability of a lexical category may result from a set of (underlying) operative factors or constraints. Our analysis is applied to Spanish borrowings in Bolivian Quechua on the basis of a set of bilingual texts.
Diachronic change of object markers in Mandarin Chinese
Authors: Xing Janet Zhiqun 
Published: November 2008

ABSTRACTThis article is a quantitative diachronic study of the object markersba˘andjiāngin Chinese. Traditionally, it has been claimed (Chao, 1968; Li & Thompson, 1981; Lü, 1955; Wang, 1943–44; among others) thatba˘andJi¯nghave undergone the same process of grammaticalization and have acquired the same function over time, so that they have become interchangeable. The present article challenges this view and provides evidence showing that, in the texts where both are used, each has its own distinctive functions. In the early stage of their grammaticalization, the major difference between them is the direction of motion relative to the agent:ba˘tends to express motion toward the agent, whereasJiāngtends to express motion away from the agent. Later, when bothba˘andJiāngbecome object markers,ba˘is more likely to be used in informal texts, whereasJiāngis more likely to be used in formal texts. I argue that it is this difference that led to the disappearance ofJiāngin written texts of modern times.
Evaluation of two hypotheses about the alternation between aquí and acá in a corpus of present-day Spanish
Authors: Sedano Mercedes 
Published: November 2008

ABSTRACTSpanish grammarians used to say that the demonstrative adverbs aquí ‘here’ and acá ‘here’ can alternate in some contexts. They attempt to explain the alternation by appealing to one of two hypotheses, which can be identified as the movement-to-a-goal hypothesis and the delimitation hypothesis. The former states that acá is associated with movement directed to a goal, whereas aquí is associated with all other possibilities. The latter states that the place denoted by aquí is less limited and defined than the place denoted by acá The present article evaluates both hypotheses in a corpus of Venezuelan Spanish. The evaluation takes into account the kind of place denoted by aquí and acá (goal of movement, source of movement, place of transit, and location) and also the prepositions and verbs used when the adverbs denote the goal of movement. The results of the quantitative analysis prove the validity of the delimitation hypothesis.
Glottal stops and Tyneside glottalization: Competing patterns of variation and change in British English
Authors: Milroy James , Milroy Lesley , Hartley Sue , Walshaw David 
Published: November 2008

ABSTRACTGlottalization and glottal replacement (particularly of /t/ in British English) have traditionally been assumed to be variants characteristic of male, lower-class speakers. Both phenomena have been heavily stigmatized, but are spreading rapidly. Recent studies in various parts of the British Isles (including Tyneside) have suggested that glottal replacement of /t/ is led by middle-class and/or female speakers. A fuller understanding of the nature of this linguistic change depends on treating glottalization of /p, t, k/ (a more localized Tyneside feature) and glottal replacement as independent phenomena, rather than as points on a lenition scale corresponding to a social continuum (e.g., casual to careful style). The studies of Tyneside glottalization reported here show that, while females lead in the use of glottal replacement, males prefer glottalization. This pattern is interpreted in terms of a preference of males for localized variants, whereas females lead in adopting supra-local norms.
Cellular and molecular effects ofn−3 polyunsaturated fatty acids on adipose tissue biology and metabolism
Authors: Flachs Pavel , Rossmeisl Martin , Bryhn Morten , Kopecky Jan 
Published: November 2008

Adipose tissue and its secreted products, adipokines, have a major role in the development of obesity-associated metabolic derangements including Type 2 diabetes. Conversely, obesity and its metabolic sequelae may be counteracted by modulating metabolism and secretory functions of adipose tissue. LC-PUFAs (long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids) of the n−3 series, namely DHA (docosahexaenoic acid; C22:6n−3) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid; C20:5n−3), exert numerous beneficial effects, such as improvements in lipid metabolism and prevention of obesity and diabetes, which partially result from the metabolic action of n−3 LC-PUFAs in adipose tissue. Recent studies highlight the importance of mitochondria in adipose tissue for the maintenance of systemic insulin sensitivity. For instance, both n−3 LC-PUFAs and the antidiabetic drugs TZDs (thiazolidinediones) induce mitochondrial biogenesis and β-oxidation. The activation of this ‘metabolic switch’ in adipocytes leads to a decrease in adiposity. Both n−3 LC-PUFAs and TZDs ameliorate a low-grade inflammation of adipose tissue associated with obesity and induce changes in the pattern of secreted adipokines, resulting in improved systemic insulin sensitivity. In contrast with TZDs, which act as agonists of PPARγ (peroxisome-proliferator-activated receptor-γ) and promote differentiation of adipocytes and adipose tissue growth, n−3 LC-PUFAs affect fat cells by different mechanisms, including the transcription factors PPARα and PPARδ. Some of the effects of n−3 LC-PUFAs on adipose tissue depend on their active metabolites, especially eicosanoids. Thus treatments affecting adipose tissue by multiple mechanisms, such as combining n−3 LC-PUFAs with either caloric restriction or antidiabetic/anti-obesity drugs, should be explored.
A Small Step on the Long Road to Understanding the R Stars: CNO Cycling in Candidate R Star Progenitors
Authors: Angelou G. , Lattanzio J. 
Published: November 2008

AbstractRecent work has proposed that a merger event between a red-giant and a He white dwarf may be responsible for the production of R stars (Izzard, Jeffery & Lattanzio 2007). We investigate the proposed evolution and nucleosynthesis of such a model. We simulate the hypothesized late ignition of the core flash by increasing neutrino losses until ignition occurs sufficiently far from the centre that the subsequent evolution produces carbon dredge-up to the extent that the post-flash object is a carbon star. Detailed nucleosynthesis is performed within this approximation and we show that the overall properties are broadly consistent with the observations. Details will depend on the dynamics of the merger event.