Books by Odile Aurora O Strik
Why did Shakespeare write 'shak’d' when we say 'shook'? Why do some people say 'dived' and others... more Why did Shakespeare write 'shak’d' when we say 'shook'? Why do some people say 'dived' and others 'dove'?
These questions have to do with how we inflect verbs for past tense, and how those strategies vary across time and space. This dissertation sheds light on the issue through case studies of verbs in Swedish and Frisian, and by using analogy (structural similarity) as a way of explaining language change. In the first half of the book the development of verbal inflection in the Germanic languages is treated, along with more detailed histories of that inflection in Swedish and Frisian.
The second part is dedicated to analogy. The hypothesis is that verbs that sound alike will tend to have the same kind of past tense inflection as well. After an introduction of the concept of analogy, it is applied to the data described in the first half of the book. Using two analogical computer models, changes from the history of Swedish and Frisian are recreated, and the successes and failures of the models show how well analogy can explain inflection class changes in these languages. In addition, the analogical modelling findings are related to frequency, leading to the conclusion that analogy and frequency together determine patterns of stability and shift in verbal inflection classes.
Finally, the two appendices of this dissertation contain historical mini-dictionaries of verbs with strong inflection in the Germanic languages.
Articles / Book Chapters by Odile Aurora O Strik
O. Strik: Modelling Analogical Change A history of Swedish and Frisian verb inflection. 165-177., 2015
There are interesting analogical patterns to be found in the history of inflection class change —... more There are interesting analogical patterns to be found in the history of inflection class change — and stability — in Frisian. It has become clear that the analogical models were better, overall, at predicting the stability of verbs than at predicting the correct direction of inflection class shift: in all cases, the proportion of correct predictions was higher for the verb systems as a whole than for the subgroup of verbs that had historically undergone shift.
This leads us to conclude that analogy by itself — as modelled by the Analogical Modeling program (AM) and the Minimal Generalization Learner (MGL) — does not possess the full conservative force needed to explain historical patterns of stability. Analogy can account for the majority of cases where verbs remained stable, but still predicted that a minority would change, when this was not the case. In other words, it is a bit too eager to reorganise the system. Another candidate for explaining diachronic stability is token frequency, particularly in that a higher token frequency is thought to make forms more resistant to morphological change, and therefore to inflection class shift. In this chapter, we present a pilot study that relates the results of analogical modelling to the token frequency of the verbs involved.
Like other Germanic languages, West Frisian has both strong and weak verbal inflection. Despite a... more Like other Germanic languages, West Frisian has both strong and weak verbal inflection. Despite an overwhelming diachronic tendency for change towards weak inflection, strong inflection patterns are available synchronically to speakers to form the past tense and past participle of new or nonsense verbs. Using a measure for ‘potential productivity’ developed by Knooihuizen & Strik (2014) for Dutch, we investigate the relative strength of available patterns in Frisian in an elicitation and an acceptability judgment experiment.
Despite a fragmented strong verbal inflection system, strong inflection makes up 35% of the elicited nonce forms; these forms cannot all be explained by analogy. Analogically formed strong inflections of nonce verbs receive relatively high acceptability ratings at 4.2 on a 7-point scale. The elicitation experiment also produced many weak forms (12% of participles) that are not normatively possible with the -e infinitives in the elicitation prompt. These alternative weak forms were not included in the acceptability judgment experiment.
We discuss the experimental results in the context of diachronically attested language change in Frisian and of intensive language contact with Dutch.
Klukkluk was a popular figure in the children's television series "Pipo de clown", which was aire... more Klukkluk was a popular figure in the children's television series "Pipo de clown", which was aired on Dutch national television between 1958 and 1980. In this paper, we discuss two constructions that have been associated with Klukkluk, which we term the "Partitive Qualifier Construction" (e.g. "mij zijn van de voorzichtige" 'I am being careful') and the "Partitive Outrage Construction" (e.g. "dat is toch van de gekke" 'that's just outrageous"). Using web-based data as well as original footage, we provide a network-based analysis of these partially filled idioms, and discuss possible sources of both constructions.
Norde, Muriel & Oscar Strik. 2016. Analogy, multiple sources and constructional networks: The Dutch Klukkluk Construction. In Anne Bannink & Wim Honselaar (eds)
From Variation to Iconicity: Festschrift for Olga Fischer. Amsterdam: Pegasus, 295-310.
In this exploratory paper we propose 'worldmaking' as a framework for pluralistic, imaginative sc... more In this exploratory paper we propose 'worldmaking' as a framework for pluralistic, imaginative scenario development. Our points of departure are the need in scenario practice to embrace uncertainty, discomfort and knowledge gaps, and the connected need to capture and make productive fundamental plurality among understandings of the future. To help respond to these needs, we introduce what Nelson Goodman calls worldmaking. It holds that there is no singular, objective world (or "real reality"), and instead that worlds are multiple, constructed through creative processes instead of given, and always in the process of becoming. We then explore how worldmaking can operationalise discordant pluralism in scenario practice by allowing participants to approach not only the future but also the present in a constructivist and pluralistic fashion; and by extending pluralism to ontological domains. Building on this, we investigate how scenario worldmaking could lead to more imaginative scenarios: worldmaking is framed as a fully creative process which gives participants ontological agency, and it helps make contrasts, tensions and complementarities between worlds productive. We go on to propose questions that can be used to operationalize scenario worldmaking, and conclude with the expected potential and limitations the approach, as well as suggestions for practical experimentation.
Directions in Old Frisian Philology, 2014
Folia Linguistica Historica 35, 1–28., 2014
Diachronic change regarding the Germanic verb shows a tendency away from strong and towards weak ... more Diachronic change regarding the Germanic verb shows a tendency away from strong and towards weak inflection, although the change is not unidirectional. Three production and acceptability experiments on nonce and existing verbs in Dutch unveil a clear hierarchy in potential productivity of inflection patterns. Weak in3ection has the highest potential productivity; within strong inflection, Classes I, II and III outrank the others. Speakers also regularly employ a productoriented schema based on the vowels /o/ and /c/, as well as, although to a lesser extent, on /i/ and /I/. We relate these findings to synchronic factors and to diachronic change.
Journal of Historical Linguistics 4:2. 190–229., 2014
This study investigates the role of analogy in the changes in inflectional classes of Swedish ver... more This study investigates the role of analogy in the changes in inflectional classes of Swedish verbs from the Old Swedish to Modern Swedish period. Verbs in the Germanic languages are generally classed as either weak or strong according to their type of inflection, but closer examination reveals interesting subtleties and exceptions to this general picture. Furthermore, changes in inflectional class
go in different directions: not only from strong to weak, but also the other way around, and between strong classes and weak classes. Two analogical computer models — Analogical Modeling (Skousen 1989) and Minimal Generalization (Albright & Hayes 2002) — are used to model a selection of 80 such changes in the history of Swedish verbs. Taking only phonological descriptions of present tense verb stems paired with their original past tense stems as input, the models attempt to predict the most likely past tense forms based on analogy. In the cases where the new outcome matches the actual changes in Swedish, the predictions are considered correct. In this way, both models predicted roughly half of all changes correctly, but 83% of the changes where a weak verb became strong. I conclude that analogy modeled in this way may play a moderate to strong role in inflection class change in general, but a particularly strong role in the case of new strong verbs. Based on these results, analogy is deserving of a revaluation as an explanatory force in diachronic linguistics.
Talks by Odile Aurora O Strik
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Books by Odile Aurora O Strik
These questions have to do with how we inflect verbs for past tense, and how those strategies vary across time and space. This dissertation sheds light on the issue through case studies of verbs in Swedish and Frisian, and by using analogy (structural similarity) as a way of explaining language change. In the first half of the book the development of verbal inflection in the Germanic languages is treated, along with more detailed histories of that inflection in Swedish and Frisian.
The second part is dedicated to analogy. The hypothesis is that verbs that sound alike will tend to have the same kind of past tense inflection as well. After an introduction of the concept of analogy, it is applied to the data described in the first half of the book. Using two analogical computer models, changes from the history of Swedish and Frisian are recreated, and the successes and failures of the models show how well analogy can explain inflection class changes in these languages. In addition, the analogical modelling findings are related to frequency, leading to the conclusion that analogy and frequency together determine patterns of stability and shift in verbal inflection classes.
Finally, the two appendices of this dissertation contain historical mini-dictionaries of verbs with strong inflection in the Germanic languages.
Articles / Book Chapters by Odile Aurora O Strik
This leads us to conclude that analogy by itself — as modelled by the Analogical Modeling program (AM) and the Minimal Generalization Learner (MGL) — does not possess the full conservative force needed to explain historical patterns of stability. Analogy can account for the majority of cases where verbs remained stable, but still predicted that a minority would change, when this was not the case. In other words, it is a bit too eager to reorganise the system. Another candidate for explaining diachronic stability is token frequency, particularly in that a higher token frequency is thought to make forms more resistant to morphological change, and therefore to inflection class shift. In this chapter, we present a pilot study that relates the results of analogical modelling to the token frequency of the verbs involved.
Despite a fragmented strong verbal inflection system, strong inflection makes up 35% of the elicited nonce forms; these forms cannot all be explained by analogy. Analogically formed strong inflections of nonce verbs receive relatively high acceptability ratings at 4.2 on a 7-point scale. The elicitation experiment also produced many weak forms (12% of participles) that are not normatively possible with the -e infinitives in the elicitation prompt. These alternative weak forms were not included in the acceptability judgment experiment.
We discuss the experimental results in the context of diachronically attested language change in Frisian and of intensive language contact with Dutch.
Norde, Muriel & Oscar Strik. 2016. Analogy, multiple sources and constructional networks: The Dutch Klukkluk Construction. In Anne Bannink & Wim Honselaar (eds)
From Variation to Iconicity: Festschrift for Olga Fischer. Amsterdam: Pegasus, 295-310.
go in different directions: not only from strong to weak, but also the other way around, and between strong classes and weak classes. Two analogical computer models — Analogical Modeling (Skousen 1989) and Minimal Generalization (Albright & Hayes 2002) — are used to model a selection of 80 such changes in the history of Swedish verbs. Taking only phonological descriptions of present tense verb stems paired with their original past tense stems as input, the models attempt to predict the most likely past tense forms based on analogy. In the cases where the new outcome matches the actual changes in Swedish, the predictions are considered correct. In this way, both models predicted roughly half of all changes correctly, but 83% of the changes where a weak verb became strong. I conclude that analogy modeled in this way may play a moderate to strong role in inflection class change in general, but a particularly strong role in the case of new strong verbs. Based on these results, analogy is deserving of a revaluation as an explanatory force in diachronic linguistics.
Talks by Odile Aurora O Strik
These questions have to do with how we inflect verbs for past tense, and how those strategies vary across time and space. This dissertation sheds light on the issue through case studies of verbs in Swedish and Frisian, and by using analogy (structural similarity) as a way of explaining language change. In the first half of the book the development of verbal inflection in the Germanic languages is treated, along with more detailed histories of that inflection in Swedish and Frisian.
The second part is dedicated to analogy. The hypothesis is that verbs that sound alike will tend to have the same kind of past tense inflection as well. After an introduction of the concept of analogy, it is applied to the data described in the first half of the book. Using two analogical computer models, changes from the history of Swedish and Frisian are recreated, and the successes and failures of the models show how well analogy can explain inflection class changes in these languages. In addition, the analogical modelling findings are related to frequency, leading to the conclusion that analogy and frequency together determine patterns of stability and shift in verbal inflection classes.
Finally, the two appendices of this dissertation contain historical mini-dictionaries of verbs with strong inflection in the Germanic languages.
This leads us to conclude that analogy by itself — as modelled by the Analogical Modeling program (AM) and the Minimal Generalization Learner (MGL) — does not possess the full conservative force needed to explain historical patterns of stability. Analogy can account for the majority of cases where verbs remained stable, but still predicted that a minority would change, when this was not the case. In other words, it is a bit too eager to reorganise the system. Another candidate for explaining diachronic stability is token frequency, particularly in that a higher token frequency is thought to make forms more resistant to morphological change, and therefore to inflection class shift. In this chapter, we present a pilot study that relates the results of analogical modelling to the token frequency of the verbs involved.
Despite a fragmented strong verbal inflection system, strong inflection makes up 35% of the elicited nonce forms; these forms cannot all be explained by analogy. Analogically formed strong inflections of nonce verbs receive relatively high acceptability ratings at 4.2 on a 7-point scale. The elicitation experiment also produced many weak forms (12% of participles) that are not normatively possible with the -e infinitives in the elicitation prompt. These alternative weak forms were not included in the acceptability judgment experiment.
We discuss the experimental results in the context of diachronically attested language change in Frisian and of intensive language contact with Dutch.
Norde, Muriel & Oscar Strik. 2016. Analogy, multiple sources and constructional networks: The Dutch Klukkluk Construction. In Anne Bannink & Wim Honselaar (eds)
From Variation to Iconicity: Festschrift for Olga Fischer. Amsterdam: Pegasus, 295-310.
go in different directions: not only from strong to weak, but also the other way around, and between strong classes and weak classes. Two analogical computer models — Analogical Modeling (Skousen 1989) and Minimal Generalization (Albright & Hayes 2002) — are used to model a selection of 80 such changes in the history of Swedish verbs. Taking only phonological descriptions of present tense verb stems paired with their original past tense stems as input, the models attempt to predict the most likely past tense forms based on analogy. In the cases where the new outcome matches the actual changes in Swedish, the predictions are considered correct. In this way, both models predicted roughly half of all changes correctly, but 83% of the changes where a weak verb became strong. I conclude that analogy modeled in this way may play a moderate to strong role in inflection class change in general, but a particularly strong role in the case of new strong verbs. Based on these results, analogy is deserving of a revaluation as an explanatory force in diachronic linguistics.