Gradience in grammar : experimental and computational aspects of degrees of grammaticality
This thesis deals with gradience in grammar, i.e., with the fact that some linguistic structures are not fully acceptable or unacceptable, but receive gradient linguistic judgments. The importance of gradient data for linguistic theory has been recognized at least since Chomsky's Logical Structure of Linguistic Theory. However, systematic empirical studies of gradience are largely absent, and none of the major theoretical frameworks is designed to account for gradient data. The present thesis addresses both questions. In the experimental part of the thesis (Chapters 3-5), we present a set of magnitude estimation experiments investigating gradience in grammar. The experiments deal with unaccusativity/unergativity, extraction, binding, word order, and gapping. They cover all major modules of syntactic theory, and draw on data from three languages (English, German, and Greek). In the theoretical part of thesis (Chapters 6 and 7), we use these experimental results to motivate a model of gradience in grammar. This model is a variant of Optimality Theory, and explains gradience in terms of the competition of ranked, violable linguistic constraints. The experimental studies in this thesis deliver two main results.
Keller, Frank
gradience ; grammaticality ; linguistic judgements ; linguistic data ; optimality theory ; magnitude estimation ; computational modeling
Gradience in grammar : experimental and computational aspects of degrees of grammaticality. This thesis deals with gradience in grammar, i.e., with the fact that some linguistic structures are not fully acceptable or unacceptable, but receive gradient linguistic judgments. The importance of gradient data for linguistic theory has been recognized at least since Chomsky's Logical Structure of Linguistic Theory. However, systematic empirical studies of gradience are largely absent, and none of the major theoretical frameworks is designed to account for gradient data. The present thesis addresses both questions. In the experimental part of the thesis (Chapters 3-5), we present a set of magnitude estimation experiments investigating gradience in grammar. The experiments deal with unaccusativity/unergativity, extraction, binding, word order, and gapping. They cover all major modules of syntactic theory, and draw on data from three languages (English, German, and Greek). In the theoretical part of thesis (Chapters 6 and 7), we use these experimental results to motivate a model of gradience in grammar. This model is a variant of Optimality Theory, and explains gradience in terms of the competition of ranked, violable linguistic constraints. The experimental studies in this thesis deliver two main results.
grammar experimental computational aspect degrees grammaticality deal grammar fact linguistic_structure fully acceptable unacceptable receive gradient linguistic judgment importance gradient data linguistic_theory recognize least since chomsky logical structure linguistic_theory however systematic empirical_study largely_absent none major_theoretical framework_design account gradient data present address_question experimental part present set magnitude estimation investigate grammar deal extraction binding word_order cover major module syntactic theory draw data language english_german greek theoretical part use experimental motivate model grammar model variant optimality_theory explain term competition rank linguistic_constraint experimental_study deliver two_main