Author and register as sources of variation

Abstract

This paper investigates the contribution of author/idiolect vs. register/type-of-text – as the most salient factors influencing the final shape of a text – towards explaining the variation observed in Czech texts. Since it is almost impossible to explore the effect of these factors on authentic data, we used elicited letters collected in a fully crossed experimental design (representative sample of 200 authors × four elicitation scenarios serving as a proxy to register variation). The variation encompassed by the elicited texts is analyzed through the lens of a general-purpose multi-dimensional model of Czech. Using triangulation via three established statistical methods and one devised for the purpose of this study, we find that register matters a great deal, explaining 1.5 times as much variation overall as idiolect. This should be taken into account when designing research in sociolinguistics or variation studies in general.

Register in Czech: Designing an MDA-based experimental study

“…While the former variant appears in written texts and formal speech, we expect the latter variant to be more common in informal spoken situations. Examples of a syntactic feature asymmetrically distributed in language situations are clusters of two or more adjectives, which are typical for prepared texts and written language rather than for spontaneous, interactive speech (Cvrček et al 2020).…”

“…Our focus in this study is on the Czech application of the multidimensional approach. Table 1 presents the dimensions of variation identified by Cvrček et al (2020) for the Czech language. In this study, we focused on the first two dimensions, as they explain the largest portion of variation in the Koditex corpus (Zasina et al 2018) on which the MDA was conducted.…”

“…The first dimension was challenging to translate into ratable scales since the piloting of our initial design had uncovered that the native speakers did not understand what was meant by "Is this situation of language use rather dynamic or static?". In order to transform the poles of the first dimension into comprehensible questions, we examined their detailed interpretation in Cvrček et al (2020). The preference for verb expressions over nominal expressions defines the dynamic pole.…”

“…The preference for verb expressions over nominal expressions defines the dynamic pole. Text categories grouped at this pole are various narrative novels, private correspondence, or web forums (Cvrček et al 2020). They have narrative and reflective characteristics; verbs of thinking are common in web forums and correspondence (Cvrček et al 2021).…”

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There are no conventionalized ways to investigate the results of multidimensional analysis (MDA) from the perceptual perspective in an experimental setting. An MDA of the Czech corpus Koditex by Cvrček et al (2020) established eight dimensions of variation based on 122 linguistic features. The first two dimensions, which explain the largest proportion of shared variance, are labeled as 1. dynamic (+)/static (-) and 2. spontaneous (+)/prepared (-).

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