Periodic Reporting for period 3 - GramAdapt (Linguistic Adaptation: Typological and Sociolinguistic Perspectives to Language Variation)
Berichtszeitraum: 2022-01-01 bis 2023-06-30
GramAdapt is an interdisciplinary research project that aims to better understand how language structures may adapt to the social contexts in which languages are learned and used. To reach this goal, we bring together worldwide comparisons of languages (i.e. the field of language typology) and the study of language in its social context (i.e. sociolinguistics). Our main hypothesis is that language structures adapt to the social environment in much the same way as many other aspects of human behaviour are adaptive.
The GramAdapt project has developed an approach that combines conceptual and methodological tools from sociolinguistics and typology to provide answers about linguistic adaptation in a systematic data-driven way. Combining these fields has been challenging in the past owing especially to methodological obstacles: language typology tends to approach languages from a macro-perspective but sociolinguistics from a micro-perspective.
In addition to developing a framework for bridging language typology and sociolinguistics, the project collects data on social environments as well as linguistic variables from about 150 languages. Those data are then used to test hypotheses about linguistic adaptation statistically. For instance, most languages have been seemingly spoken by small and relatively isolated populations, but we do not have a clear understanding about the types of structures that are found in these languages and whether they are systematically different compared to languages spoken by larger populations, or those spoken in highly multilingual settings. The results of the project will allow us to better understand how languages vary and change under different social contexts around the world.
The GramAdapt project has developed an approach that combines conceptual and methodological tools from sociolinguistics and typology to provide answers about linguistic adaptation in a systematic data-driven way. Combining these fields has been challenging in the past owing especially to methodological obstacles: language typology tends to approach languages from a macro-perspective but sociolinguistics from a micro-perspective.
In addition to developing a framework for bridging language typology and sociolinguistics, the project collects data on social environments as well as linguistic variables from about 150 languages. Those data are then used to test hypotheses about linguistic adaptation statistically. For instance, most languages have been seemingly spoken by small and relatively isolated populations, but we do not have a clear understanding about the types of structures that are found in these languages and whether they are systematically different compared to languages spoken by larger populations, or those spoken in highly multilingual settings. The results of the project will allow us to better understand how languages vary and change under different social contexts around the world.
The GramAdapt project functions as an interdisciplinary team at the University of Helsinki, consisting of the PI, three postdoctoral researchers, and research assistants. Tasks have been divided into manageable chunks according to each members' expertise, assigning two researchers to more demanding interdisciplinary tasks. This has led to an efficient transfer of knowledge, and to the early identification of problems, in turn tackled as a group.
We have tailored each piece of the research design so that the model of causation, approach to comparison, sampling, and variable selection would be compatible with one another (Di Garbo et al. 2021, in portal). A review and synthesis of causes of language change has been used in developing other parts of the design, informed by collaborative work on the evaluation of causal chains in language evolution (Roberts et al. 2020, in portal). For selecting languages and communities, we have developed and tested a new sampling method that is sensitive to the relationship of languages in contact unlike previous techniques (Di Garbo & Napoleão de Souza 2023, in portal; Sinnemäki & Ahola, in review). The selection of linguistic variables for typological comparison has been informed by promising pilot analyses (e.g. Napoleão de Souza & Sinnemäki, in press). A novel Bayesian way of assessing the probability of language change in contact ecologies has been developed (Sinnemäki et al., in revision) and we have started testing hypotheses about linguistic adaptation, the initial results providing evidence for adaptations and correctives to earlier research (Sinnemäki 2020; Verkerk & Di Garbo 2022; Di Garbo & Verkerk 2022; all in portal).
The most innovative aspect of the project has been developing methods for combining sociolinguistic and typological approaches to language variation. We have developed a questionnaire and comparative parameters for sociolinguistic ecology that have guided and structured data collection (Kashima et al., in revision). We have also reviewed research in sociolinguistic typology as well as comparative research in variationist sociolinguistics (Sinnemäki & Kashima, in revision). Sociolinguistic data has been collected in collaboration with roughly 50 experts worldwide and the first version of the dataset has been published (Kashima et al. 2023, in portal). About twenty of the experts also contribute a chapter on sociolinguistic ecology to a collection of articles edited by the research team (Di Garbo, Kashima & Sinnemäki, forthcoming). Analysis of linguistic data is also almost done and is expected to be ready within 2-4 months.
Selected publications:
Di Garbo, F. E. Kashima & K. Sinnemäki (eds.). forthcoming. Social Foundations of Language Contact: A Comparative Survey. Berlin: Language Science Press.
Kashima, E. et al. (in revision). The design principles of a sociolinguistic-typological questionnaire for language contact research. Language Dynamics and Change.
Napoleão de Souza, R. & K. Sinnemäki (in press). Beyond segment inventories: Phonological complexity and suprasegmental variables in contact situations. Journal of Language Contact.
Sinnemäki, K. & E. Kashima (in revision). Language typology and variationist sociolinguistics. In Y. Asahi et al. (eds.), Routledge Handbook of Variationist Sociolinguistics. Routledge.
Sinnemäki, K. & N. Ahola (in review). Testing inferences about language contact on morphosyntax: A typological case study on Alorese – Adang contact. Transactions of the Philological Society.
Sinnemäki, K. et al. (in review). A typological approach to language change in contact situations. Diachronica.
We have tailored each piece of the research design so that the model of causation, approach to comparison, sampling, and variable selection would be compatible with one another (Di Garbo et al. 2021, in portal). A review and synthesis of causes of language change has been used in developing other parts of the design, informed by collaborative work on the evaluation of causal chains in language evolution (Roberts et al. 2020, in portal). For selecting languages and communities, we have developed and tested a new sampling method that is sensitive to the relationship of languages in contact unlike previous techniques (Di Garbo & Napoleão de Souza 2023, in portal; Sinnemäki & Ahola, in review). The selection of linguistic variables for typological comparison has been informed by promising pilot analyses (e.g. Napoleão de Souza & Sinnemäki, in press). A novel Bayesian way of assessing the probability of language change in contact ecologies has been developed (Sinnemäki et al., in revision) and we have started testing hypotheses about linguistic adaptation, the initial results providing evidence for adaptations and correctives to earlier research (Sinnemäki 2020; Verkerk & Di Garbo 2022; Di Garbo & Verkerk 2022; all in portal).
The most innovative aspect of the project has been developing methods for combining sociolinguistic and typological approaches to language variation. We have developed a questionnaire and comparative parameters for sociolinguistic ecology that have guided and structured data collection (Kashima et al., in revision). We have also reviewed research in sociolinguistic typology as well as comparative research in variationist sociolinguistics (Sinnemäki & Kashima, in revision). Sociolinguistic data has been collected in collaboration with roughly 50 experts worldwide and the first version of the dataset has been published (Kashima et al. 2023, in portal). About twenty of the experts also contribute a chapter on sociolinguistic ecology to a collection of articles edited by the research team (Di Garbo, Kashima & Sinnemäki, forthcoming). Analysis of linguistic data is also almost done and is expected to be ready within 2-4 months.
Selected publications:
Di Garbo, F. E. Kashima & K. Sinnemäki (eds.). forthcoming. Social Foundations of Language Contact: A Comparative Survey. Berlin: Language Science Press.
Kashima, E. et al. (in revision). The design principles of a sociolinguistic-typological questionnaire for language contact research. Language Dynamics and Change.
Napoleão de Souza, R. & K. Sinnemäki (in press). Beyond segment inventories: Phonological complexity and suprasegmental variables in contact situations. Journal of Language Contact.
Sinnemäki, K. & E. Kashima (in revision). Language typology and variationist sociolinguistics. In Y. Asahi et al. (eds.), Routledge Handbook of Variationist Sociolinguistics. Routledge.
Sinnemäki, K. & N. Ahola (in review). Testing inferences about language contact on morphosyntax: A typological case study on Alorese – Adang contact. Transactions of the Philological Society.
Sinnemäki, K. et al. (in review). A typological approach to language change in contact situations. Diachronica.
The project's main results include the following:
(1) We have built an integrated model which ties together our approaches to comparison, causation, sampling, and data analysis in a transparent way. The model will be backed up by typological, sociolinguistic, and corpus data. We expect this novel framework to be ready at the end of the project.
(2) Our sampling method puts contact relations between languages on centre stage in an unprecedented way, which enables researching linguistic adaptation in contact ecologies. The method has been successfully applied to generating a language sample and it forms the basis of a novel Bayesian approach developed for making inferences about contact effects. An article validating this approach with Bayesian ancestral state reconstructions is under review.
(3) Our preliminary results on linguistic adaptation provide the first ever systematic typological comparison of both language internal and language external effects. The results suggest that both types of factors are needed when modelling complexity across languages. Preliminary results at hand suggest rich, and partly unexpected findings, about changes in linguistic complexity and in terms of convergences and divergences.
(4) The sociolinguistic questionnaire and our methods for comparing sociolinguistic environments are completely new. These two products enable large-scale comparison of sociolinguistic environments, even when collecting data from individual language users is unfeasible. The questionnaire has been filled out by collaborating experts worldwide, and a preliminary version has been published openly.
Overall, the project is well on track. Data collection on the sociolinguistic variables is ready and the analysis of linguistic data is expected to be ready within 2-4 months. Expected major results of the project include a novel framework for a synthesis between sociolinguistic and typological variation, empirical evidence that evaluates linguistic adaptations, and new rich data on sociolinguistic and linguistic variation in the world's languages.
(1) We have built an integrated model which ties together our approaches to comparison, causation, sampling, and data analysis in a transparent way. The model will be backed up by typological, sociolinguistic, and corpus data. We expect this novel framework to be ready at the end of the project.
(2) Our sampling method puts contact relations between languages on centre stage in an unprecedented way, which enables researching linguistic adaptation in contact ecologies. The method has been successfully applied to generating a language sample and it forms the basis of a novel Bayesian approach developed for making inferences about contact effects. An article validating this approach with Bayesian ancestral state reconstructions is under review.
(3) Our preliminary results on linguistic adaptation provide the first ever systematic typological comparison of both language internal and language external effects. The results suggest that both types of factors are needed when modelling complexity across languages. Preliminary results at hand suggest rich, and partly unexpected findings, about changes in linguistic complexity and in terms of convergences and divergences.
(4) The sociolinguistic questionnaire and our methods for comparing sociolinguistic environments are completely new. These two products enable large-scale comparison of sociolinguistic environments, even when collecting data from individual language users is unfeasible. The questionnaire has been filled out by collaborating experts worldwide, and a preliminary version has been published openly.
Overall, the project is well on track. Data collection on the sociolinguistic variables is ready and the analysis of linguistic data is expected to be ready within 2-4 months. Expected major results of the project include a novel framework for a synthesis between sociolinguistic and typological variation, empirical evidence that evaluates linguistic adaptations, and new rich data on sociolinguistic and linguistic variation in the world's languages.