[Lingtyp] Areal and phylogenetic *researcher* biases

[Juergen Bohnemeyer]

Dear all – I’m wondering whether anybody has attempted to estimate the size of the following putative effect on descriptive and typological research:

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.)

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.)

Thanks! – Juergen


Juergen Bohnemeyer (He/Him)
Professor, Department of Linguistics
University at Buffalo

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