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Abstract Acquisition and processing results indicate idiosyncratic, lexical knowledge interacts with productive, grammatical knowledge in systematic ways. Evidence from language processing demonstrates that higher frequency and less productive complex words are more likely to be retrieved holistically from the mental lexicon rather than being decomposed into constituents. Meanwhile, acquisition findings in both natural and artificial languages provide important evidence about the time course of learning and the role that lexical conditioning plays during development. Finally, work in experimental phonology demonstrates adult native speakers have productive knowledge of lexicalized morphophonological patterns, with learners extending lexical trends stochastically to novel forms. Although there have been significant computational advances in modeling the learning of such gradient grammatical generalizations, less attention has been devoted to modeling the joint learning of both the lexical and grammatical components of these systems, their interactions, and their connections to the processing and acquisition findings. This paper examines concrete predictions that two families of existing models of lexical and grammatical learning make across all three of these empirical domains. I show the models already align well with existing processing evidence on lexicalization effects, identify aspects of their predictions requiring further attention, and discuss implications for linguistic theory and computational modeling.
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Multiple grammars within linguistic populations: Distributions and theoretical implications
Abstract This paper explores the concept of multiple grammars (MGs) and their implications for linguistic theory, language acquisition, and bilingual language knowledge. Drawing on evidence from phenomena such as scope interactions, verb raising, and agreement patterns, I argue that seemingly identical surface structures can be undergirded by different grammatical analyses that may compete within speaker populations. I then propose a typology of MG distributions, includingshared MGs, competing MGs,andpartial MGs, each with distinct consequences for acquisition and use. Contrary to expectations of simplification, bilingualism can sometimes lead to an expansion of grammatical analyses and does not always lead to the elimination of MGs. The paper discusses methods for predicting environments conducive to MGs, considering factors such as structural ambiguity and silent elements. The examination of MGs compels us to explore how learners navigate underdetermined input, especially in bilingual contexts, and to examine the interplay between gradient acceptability judgments and categorical grammatical distinctions. The study of MGs offers valuable insights into language variation, change, and the nature of linguistic competence.
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- PAR ID:
- 10624113
- Publisher / Repository:
- John Benjamins
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Linguistic Approaches to Bilingualism
- ISSN:
- 1879-9264
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.1075/lab.24052.pol
