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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"CMU Serif"">Dear all – I’m wondering whether anybody has attempted to estimate the size of the following putative effect on descriptive and typological research:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"CMU Serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"CMU Serif"">Suppose there is a particular phenomenon in Language L, the known properties of which are equally compatible with an analysis in terms of construction types (comparative concepts) A
and B.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"CMU Serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"CMU Serif"">Suppose furthermore that L belongs to a language family and/or linguistic area such that A has much more commonly been invoked in descriptions of languages of that family/area than
B.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"CMU Serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"CMU Serif"">Then to the extent that a researcher attempting to adjudicate between A and B wrt. L (whether in a description of L, in a typological study, or in coding for an evolving typological
database) is aware of the prevalence of A-coding/analyses for languages of the family/area in question, that might make them more likely to code/analyze L as exhibiting A as well.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"CMU Serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"CMU Serif"">So for example, a researcher who assumes languages of the family/area of L to be typically tenseless may be influenced by this assumption and as a result become (however slightly) more
likely to treat L as tenseless as well. In contrast, if she assumes languages of the family/area of L to be typically tensed, that might make her ever so slightly more likely to analyze L also as tensed.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"CMU Serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"CMU Serif"">It seems to me that this is a cognitive bias related to, and possibly a case of, essentialism. (And just as in the case of (other forms of) essentialism, the actual cognitive causes/mechanisms
of the bias may vary.)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"CMU Serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"CMU Serif"">But regardless, my question is, again, has anybody tried to guestimate to what extent the results of current typological studies may be warped by this kind of researcher bias? (Note
that the bias may be affecting both authors of descriptive work and typologists using descriptive work as data, so there is a possible double-whammy effect.)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"CMU Serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"CMU Serif"">Thanks! – Juergen<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"CMU Serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"CMU Serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Helvetica;color:black;mso-ligatures:none">Juergen Bohnemeyer (He/Him)<br>
Professor, Department of Linguistics<br>
University at Buffalo <br>
<br>
Office: 642 Baldy Hall, UB North Campus<br>
Mailing address: 609 Baldy Hall, Buffalo, NY 14260 <br>
Phone: (716) 645 0127 <br>
Fax: (716) 645 3825<br>
Email: </span><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none"><a href="mailto:jb77@buffalo.edu" title="mailto:jb77@buffalo.edu"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Helvetica;color:#0078D4">jb77@buffalo.edu</span></a></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Helvetica;color:black;mso-ligatures:none"><br>
Web: </span><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none"><a href="http://www.acsu.buffalo.edu/~jb77/" title="http://www.acsu.buffalo.edu/~jb77/"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Helvetica;color:#0563C1">http://www.acsu.buffalo.edu/~jb77/</span></a></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Helvetica;color:black;mso-ligatures:none"> <br>
<br>
</span><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none">Office hours Tu/Th 3:30-4:30pm in 642 Baldy or via Zoom (Meeting ID 585 520 2411; Passcode Hoorheh) </span><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Helvetica;color:black;mso-ligatures:none"><br>
<br>
There’s A Crack In Everything - That’s How The Light Gets In <br>
(Leonard Cohen) </span><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;mso-ligatures:none">-- <o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="DE"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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