The changing functions of competing forms: Attraction and differentiation

Abstract

The relation between functionally similar forms is often described in terms of competition. This leads to the expectation that over time only one form can survive (substitution) or each form must find its unique niche in functional space (differentiation). However, competition cannot easily explain what causes functional overlap or how form-function mappings will be reorganized. It is argued here that the changes which competing forms undergo are steered by various analogical forces. As a result of analogy, competing forms often show attraction, becoming functionally more (instead of less) alike. Attraction can maintain and increase functional overlap in language. At the same time, competing forms are analogically anchored to a broader constructional network. Cases of differentiation typically follow from the relations in that network. Evidence is drawn from the literature and from three corpus-based case studies, addressing attraction and differentiation in English aspectual constructions, English secondary predicate constructions, and in a pair of Dutch degree modifiers. Evidence is provided of a phenomenon competition-based accounts could not predict (attraction), and a solution is offered for one they could not very well explain (differentiation). More generally it is shown that the development of competing forms must be understood against their broader grammatical context.

Semantic differences between strong and weak verb forms in Dutch

“…This way, we refunctionalize the strongweak variation (which was not used to express any other function) in an iconic manner, even though the variation is usually not persistent. Often it has been claimed that in order for the variation to survive, the variants need to show some function or meaning differentiation (Bolinger 1968a: 127;Kroch 1994) (though lately, different voices have argued that variation an sich is functional too, see De Smet et al 2018). It would be interesting, though, to see whether verbs where this differentiation occurs, tend to show variation longer than verbs where this differentiation does not occur.…”

'Ser teudo de responder' ou 'ter de responder': sobre a emergência de usos deônticos de 'ter de (que)' + INF em português

“…5 e em particular os que assinalam diferentes tipos de 'contextos' («bridging contexts», Heine, 2002, ou «critical contexts», Diewald, 2006 como decisivos na emergência de inovações em termos funcionais. Considera-se, ainda, que no âmbito deste trabalho será necessário discutir a relevância da competição (Berg, 2014) entre formas / construções, eventualmente incluindo a discussão do papel da analogia, como, por exemplo, proposto, com diferentes orientações, por Fischer (2013) e De Smet et al (2018). Este último aspeto, porém, não será aqui explorado, visto que implicaria um alargamento muito significativo da recolha e análise de dados que não foi ainda possível levar a cabo.…”

“…Como já referido (secção 1), os dois verbos competem desde cedo na diacronia do português em diferentes funcionamentos, tendo mais geralmente essa competição resultado na substituição de haver por ter. No caso das perífrases modais é de crer que a competição tenha também tido o seu papel na diacronia de haver e ter, mas aqui a emergência aparentemente tardia de ter neste tipo de usos, associada à persistência de haver em perífrases modais, ao contrário do que aconteceu noutros funcionamentos, poderá ter contribuído para ditar um resultado diferente, que seria de tendencial 'diferenciação' dos valores expressos, um resultado também possível como resultado de competição ( De Smet et. al., 2018).…”

“…A discussão deste aspeto, porém, está já fora do âmbito do presente trabalho, visto que implicaria a análise comparativa de ocorrências de ambos os verbos em estruturas com INF. Ainda assim poder-se-á apenas formular uma hipótese, quanto à 'atração', também referida por De Smet et. al.…”

Large Corpora and Historical Syntax: Consequences for the Study of Morphosyntactic Diffusion in the History of Spanish

“…Thus, Figure 4 helps us to understand the importance of co-evolution in groups of constructions that are similar both in form and meaning: a specific trajectory might be accelerated (or slowed down) by the appearance of others within its local variational environment or “envelope of variation,” that is, its constructional network (for analogical effects of attraction and differentiation within such networks, cf. now De Smet et al, 2018). The effects of co-evolution are also felt in the case of the periphrasis with fronted infinitive, for example, cantar(lo) tengo (see Figure 1 above): the curve shows how the presence of clitics within the schema grows significantly until the middle of the 16th century, which, as already stated, clearly indicates a convergence with the “analytic future” cantarlo he , a construction in which the clitic is obligatory.…”