Probabilistic Grammar: The view from Cognitive Sociolinguistics

Abstract

In this paper, I propose that Probabilistic Grammar may benefit from incorporating theoretical insights from Cognitive (Socio)Linguistics. I begin by introducing Cognitive Linguistics. Then, I propose a model of the domain-general cognitive constraints (markedness of coding, statistical preemption, and structural priming) that condition language (variation). Subsequently, three case studies are presented that test the predictions of this model on three distinct alternations in English and Spanish (variable agreement with existential haber, variable agreement with existential there be, and Spanish subject pronoun expression). For each case study, the model generates empirically correct predictions. I conclude that, with the support of Cognitive Sociolinguistics, Probabilistic Grammar may move beyond description towards explanation. This article is part of the special collection: Probabilistic grammars: Syntactic variation in a comparative perspective

A social turn for Construction Grammar: double modals on British Twitter

“…Prominent members of the field have emphasised the importance of accepting what is known as the 'Sociosemiotic Commitment' (Geeraerts 2016) 1 to address the lack of engagement in CL with social aspects of language knowledge and use (see also Dąbrowska 2016). A number of related approaches in CL, such as Cognitive Sociolinguistics (Claes 2018;Kristiansen et al 2021), the Entrenchment-and-Conventionalization model (Schmid 2020) and Word Grammar (Hudson 2021), are grounded in the understanding that a theory of language and grammar must integrate accounts of both individual cognitive entrenchment and community variation and convention, keeping with the assumptions of inherent variability in language (Labov 1969), embodied cognition (Croft & Cruse 2004) and the sociocognitive roots of language in the human speciesthe 'ultra-social animal' (Croft 2009;Tomasello 2014).…”