From vectors to waves and streams: An alternative approach to semantic maps

Abstract

This article designs a method of improving traditional, qualitative semantic maps based on grammaticalisation paths, by including both quantitative data (frequency) and information concerning a gram's environment (the relation to the other maps). The incorporation of qualitative evidence transforms vectored maps into waves, while the introduction of the contextual factor combines waves organised along the same grammaticalisation template into a stream. The structure of a wave delivers, in turn, the statistical prototypicality of a gram (i.e. the prototypicality that is conditioned by the gram's own wave), whereas the structure of the stream yields product prototypicality (i.e. the prototypicality that is a combination of the gram's wave and the other waves of the stream). It is additionally hypothesised that the product prototypicality may be an overt indicator of the psychological perception of the grams by speakers.

Is the “BE compound tense” in Xhosa (Nguni) a Serial Verb Construction, or not?

“…The understanding of grammaticalization adopted in this paper follows the views advanced by Hopper & Traugott (2003) and Bybee (2010). Concerning the concepts of radial networks, (dynamic) semantic maps, and grammatical prototypes consult Haspelmath (2003), Croft (2003), Taylor (2003), Narrog & Van der Auwera (2011), Janda (2015), and Andrason (2016aAndrason ( , 2016b.…”

The semantic map model: State of the art and future avenues for linguistic research

“…In the semantic map model, the process of linking nodes follows a principal constraint known as the connectivity hypothesis : “any relevant language‐specific and construction‐specific category should map onto a connected region in conceptual space” (Croft, , p. 96), “more precisely, a connected subgraph” (Croft & Poole, , p. 4). As Andrason (, p. 2) puts it, the meanings

are connected because they arise due to human cognitive mechanisms, being derived by means of metaphor, image‐schema process, metonymy, analogy or abduction [… and o]n the other hand, they constitute a temporally sequential chain of predecessor and successors.

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“…Grossman & Polis, , p. 197). As Andrason (, p. 7) puts it, “[a] form that is represented by means of semantic maps is typically studied in isolation from the language in which it exists and in which it has been developing. (…) The lack of information concerning environmental factors is particularly suspicious (…).” A solution for integrating information about the construction‐specific meanings of the forms that are mapped is yet to be found.…”

Left Dislocation: An Exploration in Linguistic Typology

“…from one shade of color to another) is unidirectional. This stems from the unidirectionality of grammaticalization and its irreversibility (see Bybee, Heine, and Pagliuca 1994;Heine 2001;Andrason 2016aAndrason , 2016b. Second, even though one may fragmentize the scale into separated boxes, of which each represents a "distinct" category (e.g.…”

“…On the one hand, the internal structure of a language-specific LD construction, its category status, and its place in the language-system is extremely convoluted, involving a large number of elements. On the other hand, the behavior of a LD construction, including its category rank, depends not only this construction's internal properties but also on the properties of other constructions, not to mention the (entire) system that embeds it (regarding the situatedness of grammatical constructions, see Andrason 2016aAndrason , 2016b.…”