Author:

Keywords:

Social Sciences, Linguistics, Language & Linguistics, frequency, probabilistic, genitive, variation, Late Modern English, GENITIVE VARIATION, ENGLISH, VARIABILITY, GENRES, 0801 Artificial Intelligence and Image Processing, 1702 Cognitive Sciences, 2004 Linguistics, Languages & Linguistics, 4704 Linguistics

Abstract:

© 2016 by De Gruyter Mouton 2016. This paper is concerned with the limitations of inferring grammar change from variable text frequencies in historical corpus data. We argue that fluctuating frequencies of grammatical variants in real time are a function not only of changing grammars but are also conditioned by what we call 'environmental' changes (for example, content changes) that affect the textual habitat. As a case study, we explore the English genitive alternation in the Late Modern English period and demonstrate that the English s-genitive is and always has been preferably used with animate possessors; if for some reason animate nps are rare in some specific historical period or text, this will trivially depress s-genitive rates and boost of-genitive rates. Against this backdrop, the paper advocates probing the probabilistic underpinning of grammatical variability in diachrony, for the sake of keeping apart trivial habitat-induced frequency change and grammar change proper.