multi-factorial choices in speaking

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MULTI-FACTORIAL CHOICES IN SPEAKING

Andrej A. Kibrik (Institute of Linguistics, Russian Academy of Sciences)

[email protected]

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CHOICE

As people speak, they constantly make choices

There are several (partially overlapping) types of choices involved

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Unique choice

Choosing a lexical item to describe one’s own emotion

I am glad (OKhappy, ??joyful, *amused) you are willing to attend our workshop

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Prompted choice

Language prompts its speakers to focus on certain aspects of meaning that must be expressed in this or that way

Example: if a language has the category of number, each noun in discourse must be specified for number, even if that is not particularly relevant

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Prompted choice

Language prompts its speakers to focus on certain aspects of meaning that must be expressed in this or that way

Example: if a language has the category of number, each noun in discourse must be specified for number, even if that is not particularly relevant

Cf. Jakobson’s notion of grammatical category and Slobin’s “Thinking for speaking” framework

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Forced choice

Some linguistic elements require other linguistic elements

Example: verb V in language L requires a direct object even there is no semantic need to use an overt

object NP the speaker inserts a dummy element there

If you don’t have a ticket, you should get one

cf. Russian Esli u vas net bileta, vam nuzhno kupit’ __

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Probabilistic choice

differs from any of the listed types is very little acknowledged in

linguistics there always exist some borderline

situations in which more than one option can be used

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Features of probabilistic choice

the speaker chooses between two or more options from a fixed repertoire

the choice cannot be reduced to one factor governing it but depends on multiple factors

various factors interact in a certain way and give rise to a cumulative resultant decision

the choice is cognitively motivated: it can be linked to a higher-order cognitive function

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Example 1. Referential choice: full noun phrase vs. pronoun

In Cheney's narrative, Russia was a blooming democracy during the 1990s, but in recent years it has turned into a sinister dictatorship where people live in fear. In castigating Vladimir Putin, Cheney believes that he is speaking for the Russian masses. He fancies himself as Reagan at the Berlin wall. Except he isn't. Had Cheney done his homework and consulted a few opinion polls, which are extensive and reliable in Russia, he would have discovered that Putin has a 75 percent approval rating, about twice that of President Bush.

Newsweek, May 29, 2006

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Example 1. Referential choice: full noun phrase vs. pronoun



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Referential choice

overwhelming character (40 out of 89 words) multiple factors

distance to prior mention role of prior mention animacy ………….

cumulative effect leading to a resultant choice

overarching cognitive domain: activation in the speaker’s working memory

probabilistic

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Referential choice is probabilistic



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Example 2. Finite vs. non-finite predicate form in Karachay-Balkar

men … bar-a-ma,I go-Pres-1Sg

birinci kUn bar-a-ma da qaSXataw-Ra,first day go-Pres-1Sg and Qashxataw-Dat

qal-a-ma kece zuwuq-lar-ybyz-da.stay-Pres-1Sg night relative-Pl-1Pl-Loc

I start off, on the first day go to Qashxataw, stay overnight with our relatives

FINITE VERB FORMS

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Example 2. Finite vs. non-finite predicate form in Karachay-Balkar

… eSek any eSt-xen-lej,donkey him hear-Pf-Compar

… qulaq-lar-y-n da turRuz-up,ear-Pl-3-Acc and erect-Conv

… ijgi … ajaq al-yp,well legs gather-Conv

… terk qaty caf-Xal-laj tebre-gen-di.fast strong run-Pf-Compar begin-Pf-3

As soon as the donkey heard it, he erected his ears, speeded up, and started running very fast

NON-FINITE VERB

FORMS

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Finite vs. non-finite clause form

overwhelming character in narrative multiple factors

purely temporal vs. causal-temporal connection to the next event

position in the chain of events ………….

cumulative effect leading to a resultant decision

overarching cognitive domain: cognitive connectedness, affiliation with a higher order event

probabilistic

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Clause form choice is probabilistic

Original

Prognosis

FC LX ZB MX

they added more people to him,

Fin Fin Non-Fin

Fin Fin Fin

found him a wife,

Fin Fin Non-Fin

Fin Fin Fin

and a village formed there

Fin Fin Fin Fin Fin

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Example 3. Direction of pitch in accent (Russian): rising vs. falling

..(0.3) Посмотрели мы этот /концерт,We watched that /concert,

..(0.1) куда-то \пош-шли.(and) went \somewhere.

...(0.6) Тут ..(0.3) ээ(0.3) ..(0.4) мы встречаем мою /маму с папой,Then … we meet my /mom with my dad,

...(0.6) \откуда-то,from \somewhere,

...(0.9) и ' ..(0.3) мы ' ..(0.4) куда-то \поехали.and we started for some \place.

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Direction of pitch in accent overwhelming character multiple factors

whether the discourse unit in question is the terminal one in an illocutionary act or ‘sentence’

if yes, which illocutionary meaning it bears if not, what pitch direction is projected for the nuclear accent of

the following EDU whether the current EDU is in the mainline of discourse or is a

postpositional addendum (elaboration) to the previous EDU ………….

cumulative effect leading to a resultant choice overarching cognitive domain: the hypercategory of

‘phase’, or ‘transitional continuity’; the role of the current discourse unit in the on-line communicative flow of discourse

probabilistic

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Direction of pitch in accent is probabilistic

...(0.6) Тут ..(0.3) ээ(0.3) ..(0.4) мы встречаем мою /маму с папой,Then … we meet my /mom with my dad,

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Direction of pitch in accent is probabilistic

...(0.6) Тут ..(0.3) ээ(0.3) ..(0.4) мы встречаем мою \ма му с папой,Then … we meet my /mom with my dad,

If this kind of online correction is possible, this demonstrates that there is a zone in which a decision on the choice is fairly hard to arrive at.

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Further features of multi-factorial, probabilistic choices

Can be very quickRoutinizedHardly consciously madeBut very efficient and very important:

lack of the ability to perform aforementioned choices would mean a real aphasia

Don’t have to be discrete, can be continuous

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Role of choice in language

Grammar can be viewed as a system guiding various linguistic choices

I find it surprising that the notion of choice is not salient in discussions of language production

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Questions for interdisciplinary discussion

Is the notion of ‘choice’ important to other cognitive domains besides language?

Is the notion of choice useful for the general enterprise of cognitive science?

Cf. behavioral analogs of linguistic mini-choices: braking or accelerating in driving using right or left hand when reaching for an object order of biting and supping during a meal

In psychology, ‘choice’ and ‘decision making’ are mostly discussed in the context of complex cognitive processes that involve reasoning

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Occasional usage in psychology

“For example, a boxer facing an opponent who can attack with the left or right fist must make a fast decision about what to do. In situations like this, the ‘choice’ reaction time is substantially longer, mainly reflecting the increased processing demands associated with selecting and programming the appropriate action.”

(Jos J. Adam and Martinus J. Bueckers. Action. In: Encyclopedia of Cognitive Science. London: Nature Publishing Group. 2003. Vol. 1, pp. 14-20).

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Concluding suggestions

Speech, and behavior in general, are full of making choices

It is important to explore the types of choices and their characteristic properties

Particularly interesting are multi-factorial choices as they present a big challenge to our explanatory models

A theory is necessary of how the relevant factors interact and how their differential weights give rise to a resultant net effect

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Making the right choice is important

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Sometimes it is really probabilistic

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But not making a choice can even be lethal

Buridan’s ass

multi-factorial choices in speaking

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