33.2689, Diss: Germanic; Western Nilotic; Computational Linguistics; Historical Linguistics; Phonetics; Phonology: Stefon Michael Flego: ''The Emergence of Vowel Quality Mutation in Germanic and Dinka-Nuer: Modeling the Role of Information-Theoretic Factors Using Agent-Based Simulation''

[The LINGUIST List]

LINGUIST List: Vol-33-2689. Sun Sep 04 2022. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 33.2689, Diss:  Germanic; Western Nilotic; Computational Linguistics; Historical Linguistics; Phonetics; Phonology: Stefon Michael Flego: ''The Emergence of Vowel Quality Mutation in Germanic and Dinka-Nuer: Modeling the Role of Information-Theoretic Factors Using Agent-Based Simulation''

Moderator: Malgorzata E. Cavar (linguist at linguistlist.org)
Student Moderator: Billy Dickson
Managing Editor: Lauren Perkins
Team: Helen Aristar-Dry, Everett Green, Sarah Goldfinch, Nils Hjortnaes,
        Joshua Sims, Billy Dickson, Amalia Robinson, Matthew Fort
Jobs: jobs at linguistlist.org | Conferences: callconf at linguistlist.org | Pubs: pubs at linguistlist.org

Homepage: http://linguistlist.org

Hosted by Indiana University

Please support the LL editors and operation with a donation at:
           https://funddrive.linguistlist.org/donate/

Editor for this issue: Sarah Goldfinch <sgoldfinch at linguistlist.org>
================================================================


Date: Sun, 04 Sep 2022 19:43:30
From: Stefon Flego [stefonflego at gmail.com]
Subject: The Emergence of Vowel Quality Mutation in Germanic and Dinka-Nuer: Modeling the Role of Information-Theoretic Factors Using Agent-Based Simulation

 
Institution: Indiana University Bloomington 
Program: Linguistics 
Dissertation Status: Completed 
Degree Date: 2022 

Author: Stefon Michael Flego

Dissertation Title: The Emergence of Vowel Quality Mutation in Germanic and
Dinka-Nuer: Modeling the Role of Information-Theoretic
Factors Using Agent-Based Simulation 

Dissertation URL:  https://www.proquest.com/pqdtglobal/docview/2705390335/6718BF4F6AE64B8BPQ/1

Linguistic Field(s): Computational Linguistics
                     Historical Linguistics
                     Phonetics
                     Phonology

Language Family(ies): Germanic
                      Western Nilotic 


Dissertation Director(s):
Kelly Harper Berkson

Dissertation Abstract:

This dissertation uses computational modeling to examine the relationship
between information-theoretic factors and the actuation and direction of
language change. It models the emergence of vowel quality mutation (VQM),
meaning stem vowel alternations that participate directly in morphosyntactic
exponence and which have their historic origin in long-distance coarticulation
with former suffix vowels (e.g. early Germanic *fōt-s ~ *fōt-iz --> English
‘foot’ ~ ‘feet’; Surkum kùɟ-ɛ̀ ~ kùɟ-ʌ̀, cf. Agar Dinka kṳ̀uc ~ kwò̤oc,
‘not know’.3SG~1SG). Given the cross-linguistic ubiquity of suffixing systems,
long-distance coarticulation, and erosion of suffixal material over historical
time, it is unclear why VQM has not developed more frequently across the
world’s languages. Nor is it well understood why VQM would develop at all, as
it acquires several typologically rare properties not shared with its
antecedent system. Using agent-based modeling, I show that we can better
understand the evolution of VQM by simulating how the contextual
predictability of vowel quality contrasts in stems and suffixes affects the
magnitude of long-distance coarticulation and erosion of suffixal material
over historical time. The results indicate that VQM is only likely to emerge
from a stem-suffix system under particular information-theoretic conditions,
namely when stem vowel contrasts have relatively high average contextual
predictability and suffix vowel contrasts have relatively low average
predictability, an asymmetry consistent with data from early Germanic and
Dinka-Nuer. The model predicts that these information-theoretic factors also
influence the internal structure of the resulting mutation system and the size
of its vowel quality inventory. This type of approach enables us to begin
tracing the seeds of language change to quantifiable aspects of communication
and language use, and gives insight into how linguistic systems evolve
holistically— from the physics of speech articulation up through higher-level
morphosyntactic expression.




------------------------------------------------------------------------------

***************************    LINGUIST List Support    ***************************
 The 2020 Fund Drive is under way! Please visit https://funddrive.linguistlist.org
  to find out how to donate and check how your university, country or discipline
     ranks in the fund drive challenges. Or go directly to the donation site:
                   https://crowdfunding.iu.edu/the-linguist-list

                        Let's make this a short fund drive!
                Please feel free to share the link to our campaign:
                    https://funddrive.linguistlist.org/donate/
 


----------------------------------------------------------
LINGUIST List: Vol-33-2689	
----------------------------------------------------------