Use Of Case Markers Research Articles

Cue reliability, communicative efficiency, and differential subject marking: Evidence from Korean

Abstract: This article investigates the role of situational context in differential case marking. Evidence from conversation data in Korean demonstrates that caseless subjects are predominantly found in event-reporting clauses that have an agent directly identifiable in the here and now, while case-marked subjects are not similarly restricted. Based on this evidence, I propose a new account of differential subject marking in terms of an efficiency principle of negative correlation between length/complexity and cue reliability. I argue that the association of caseless subjects with seemingly unrelated features such as grounding in the here and now, nonstativity, and definiteness follows from speakers' efficient use of case marking motivated by the availability of strong situational cues to the intended role interpretation of a subject referent.

Diachronic pathways to case marking alignment and what they mean for the explanation of synchronic cross-linguistic patterns

Abstract Case marking alignment has been assumed to reflect principles of optimization: dedicated case marking is limited to arguments more in need of disambiguation, and semantically or pragmatically similar arguments are encoded by the same case forms. This view is based on the synchronic properties of the relevant alignment patterns and the cross-linguistic rarity of other logically possible ones, not diachronic phenomena involved in their emergence or cross-linguistic distribution. This paper explores several developmental processes that recurrently give rise to accusative, ergative, and active case marking alignment cross-linguistically, including reanalysis of argument structure, the development of case forms through grammaticalization or phonological reduction, and the extension of an existing case form to novel contexts. These processes appear to be driven by inherent or contextual properties of particular source constructions, independent of principles of optimization in the use of case marking. The synchronic properties of the resulting alignment patterns cannot be taken as evidence for such principles either, because they are due to inheritance (a case form inherits the distribution of particular source elements or developmental processes, which is unrelated to the assumed optimization principles) or residue (a case form becomes restricted to particular arguments as a new form develops for the other arguments, also independently of these principles). These facts call for a source-oriented approach to case marking alignment and recurrent cross-linguistic patterns in general, one where the focus shifts from the synchronic properties of individual patterns to unraveling the effects of several different diachronic phenomena that give rise to individual patterns and shape their cross-linguistic distribution over time.

Speech and Language characteristics of Kannada and Hindi speaking individuals with Primary Progressive Aphasia

AbstractBackgroundLinguistic typology plays an important role in identifying clinical markers of language deficits that characterise Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA). The current International criteria to diagnose PPA were primarily developed for English. Typological characteristics of Indian languages however differ from English in their morpho‐syntactic complexity, a flexible‐word order, richer morphology, ‘pro‐drop’ languages with absence of prepositions and transparent orthography. We aimed to develop a novel test in Kannada (Dravidian) and Hindi (Indo‐Aryan) to identify language deficits in Indian language speakers with PPA.MethodThe speech‐language test systematically developed for Kannada and Hindi consisted of unique tasks for syntax, semantics, phonology, motor speech and working memory. Participants underwent assessment of cognition and language with Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination‐III, Western Aphasia Battery‐Revised and Indian Semantic Memory Battery (ISMB) in addition to the novel test.ResultsOf 26 patients with PPA (Kannada 13, Hindi 13), 15 had non‐fluent variant (nfvPPA), 8 semantic variant (svPPA) and 3 logopenic variant (lvPPA). On the novel test, PPA had higher phonological, motor speech, syntactic and semantic errors compared to 60 controls. nfvPPA had higher phonological, motor speech and syntactic errors and lesser semantic errors compared to svPPA. Semantic and working memory errors discriminated between nfvPPA and svPPA. On qualitative analysis, 5 patients of nfvPPA had significant apraxia of speech. The other 10 had a unique syntactic profile: agrammatism was not prominent in their spontaneous speech and picture description. Sentences were relatively fluent, complete and sufficient for functional communication. The consistent abnormality observed was a reduction in overall length of utterance. Agrammatisms such as inappropriate use of case markers were restricted to specific tests of syntax. svPPA patients had increased verbal output and prominent paragrammatisms. Testing for surface dyslexia was not relevant due to the orthographic transparency of Indian languages.ConclusionThe novel language test for evaluation of Indian speakers of PPA revealed unique findings for diagnosis of nfvPPA. Reduction in length of utterances and lack of prominent agrammatism was a consistent clinical marker and owes itself to morpho‐syntactic complexity of Indian languages. Our study emphasises the need to account for linguistic typology in diagnosis of PPA.

A Qualitative Study of Actual and Non-Actual Motion Expressions in Telugu and its Implications

This paper examines the similarities and differences between actual motion (AM) and non-actual motion (NAM) expressions in Telugu via a qualitative approach. The findings revealed the following similarities: (a) the extensive use of generic deictic verbs, (b) the obligatory use of case markers for encoding Path, (c) the limited number of path verbs and their uses, and (d) the use of spatial nouns for expressing Region. In addition, the findings also revealed that AM had a reasonable number of Manner expressions, whereas NAM contained almost no information about Manner.

Simultaneous interpreting experience enhances the use of case markers for prediction in Turkish

Abstract This study investigated individual differences in prediction during language comprehension in professional and student Turkish (A)–English (B) simultaneous interpreters as a function of simultaneous interpreting (SI) experience and working memory capacity (WMC). A Turkish visual-world eye-tracking prediction task examined whether the accusative versus the nominative case markers on the initial nouns of sentences could be used as cues to predicting an upcoming argument. The participants’ WMC was measured using an automated operation span task. We found a prediction effect (a significantly higher increase in fixations to the plausible agent with time in the accusative than in the nominative condition) for the professionals, but not for the students. WMC contributed positively to the prediction effect in the professionals. Our findings indicate an SI-related advantage for prediction in professional versus student interpreters. Importantly, the present findings revealed an SI-related advantage in a prediction task that did not require interpreting.

Korean-speaking children's constructional knowledge about a transitive event: Corpus analysis and Bayesian modelling.

We investigate Korean-speaking children's knowledge about clause-level constructions involving a transitive event - active transitive and suffixal passive - through corpus analysis and Bayesian modelling. The analysis of Korean caregiver input and children's production in CHILDES revealed that the rates of constructional patterns produced by the children mirrored those uttered by the caregivers to a considerable degree and that the caregivers' use of case-marking was skewed towards single form-function pairings (despite the multiple form-function associations that the markers manifest). Based on these characteristics, we modelled a Bayesian learner by employing construction-based input (without considering lexical information). This simulation revealed the dominance of several constructional patterns, occupying most of the input, and their inhibitory effects on the development of the other patterns. Our findings illuminate how children shape clause-level constructional knowledge in Korean, an understudied language for this topic, as a function of input properties and domain-general learning capacities, appealing to the usage-based constructionist approach.

Language profile of primary progressive aphasia in a linguistically diverse cohort in India

AbstractBackgroundThe accurate characterization of language and semantic memory deficits is crucial for diagnosis of primary progressive aphasia (PPA). In a linguistically diverse society like India, assessment with linguistically appropriate and culturally relevant tools is essential but challenging. This study aimed at developing language and culture specific tests to diagnose PPA and profile cognitive‐linguistic characteristics of a diverse cohort of PPA in India.MethodBased on typical characteristics of Indian languages: free‐word order, rich system of morphology and case‐marking that are features that differentiate Indian languages from English, a language‐specific assessment battery was developed in seven languages: Hindi, Bengali (Indo‐Aryan languages) and Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam and Tamil (Dravidian languages). In the background of the importance of case‐markers in the syntax of Indian languages, a unique syntax assessment test was specifically developed. To evaluate semantic memory, the Indian Semantic Memory battery was developed using stimuli appropriate for a pan‐Indian cultural context. All patients underwent assessment of language proficiency and comprehensive cognitive evaluation by examiners proficient in the language of testing.Result36 patients with PPA: 22 with semantic variant (svPPA), 12 nonfluent variant (nfvPPA) and 2 logopenic variant (lvPPA) participated. The cohort consisted of proficient speakers of seven Indian languages. A particular difficulty in the appropriate use of case markers on the new test of syntax was revealed in nfvPPA compared to svPPA. Further, the core diagnostic feature of ‘agrammatism’ for PPA in English‐speaking nfvPPA was not as dramatic in Indian patients owing to the morphological richness of Indian languages, leading to reduced contrast between fluent versus non‐fluent aphasia. Consistent with diagnosis, a significant reduction in fluency was demonstrated in nfvPPA (p< 0.006 on fluency tasks). Semantic memory was significantly affected in svPPA as revealed on non‐verbal tasks i.e., word‐picture matching (p<0.02)and semantic association task(p<0.01) of Indian Semantic Battery.ConclusionUsing language and culture specific assessment batteries tailored to the Indian context, a comprehensive clinical characteristics in PPA subtypes were identified. The need to re‐define agrammatism with respect to Indian languages with additional weightage to the use of case markers that assist in identifying the PPA subtype was a novel finding.

Social biases modulate the loss of redundant forms in the cultural evolution of language

According to the competitive exclusion principle (Gause, 1934), competition for the same niche must eventually lead one competitor to extinction or the occupation of a new niche. This principle applies in both biology and the cultural evolution of language, where different words and structures compete for the same function or meaning (Aronoff, 2016). Across languages, for example, word order trades off with case marking as a means of indicating who did what to whom in a sentence. Previous experimental work has shed light on how such trade-offs come about as languages adapt to human biases through learning and production, with biases becoming amplified through iterated learning over generations. At the same time, a large body of work has documented the impact of social biases on language change. However, little work has investigated how social biases interact with learning and production biases. In particular, the social dimension of language may provide alternative niches for otherwise redundant forms, preventing or slowing their extinction. We tested this hypothesis in an iterated-learning experiment in which participants were exposed to a language with two dialects, both of which had fixed word order, but differed in whether they employed case markers. In one condition, we biased participants socially towards speakers of the dialect that employed case; in other conditions we provided no bias, or biased participants for or against the dialect without case. As expected under our hypothesis, the use of case markers declined over time in all conditions, but the social bias in favor of case-dialect speakers slowed the decline.

On case and tense: The role of grounding in differential subject marking

AbstractIn this paper, we propose a uniform motivation for subject case alternations that align with distinctions in tense and aspect and those that align with a distinction between stage- and individual-level predication. We argue that both follow from an economical use of case marking that is made possible by grounding. If the argument function of an event participant can be determined on the basis of information available in the here and now, the use of case marking can be judged redundant and suspended because of economy.

Testing the Interface Hypothesis: The evidence from fossilized errors in the use of Turkish case markers

Sorace & Filiaci (2006) proposed the Interface Hypothesis (IH), according to which interface structures requiring interface between syntax and other cognitive domains are more likely to be vulnerable to incomplete acquisition and fossilization than structures that involve syntactic knowledge only. The aim of this study is to provide a piece of evidence validating or rejecting the IH by investigating the use of case markers in Turkish by native speakers of Russian who are highly proficient speakers of Turkish and have been residing in Turkey for a long period. Fictional narratives are used in the study as the tool for data collection. The findings reveal that the participants demonstrate native-like use of Turkish case markers production of which does not involve external interface. The use of case markers of direct objects, which involves the activation of external interface, is marked with fossilized errors and/or incomplete acquisition in the production of the participants. The findings of the study can be used as a piece of evidence in favor of the IH. Keywords: Interface Hypothesis, case markers, Turkish, native speakers of Russian

The use of case marking for predictive processing in second language Japanese

Research on processing in English has shown that verb information facilitates predictive processing. Because Japanese verbs occur at the ends of clauses, this information cannot be used to predict the roles of preceding nominals. Kamide, Altmann and Haywood (2003) showed that native Japanese speakers use case markers to predict forthcoming linguistic items. In the present study, we investigated whether second language learners of Japanese demonstrate such predictive effects when processing sentences containing either the monotransitive or ditransitive constructions. A visual-world paradigm experiment showed that, although native speakers generated predictions for syntactic outcomes, the learners did not. These findings underscore the usefulness of morphosyntactic information in processing Japanese and indicate that learners fail to make full use of case markers to generate expectations regarding syntactic outcomes during online processing. Learners may rely on nonlinguistic information to compensate for this deficit in syntactic processing.

Sentence comprehension in aphasia in two clear case-marking languages

Studies of aphasia in Indo-European languages point to a selective vulnerability of morphological case marking in sentence comprehension. However, in case-marking languages such as German and Serbo-Croatian, the use of case marking to express formal grammatical gender diminishes the clarity of grammatical role marking. In Hungarian and Turkish, there are simple and reliable markings for the direct object. These markings are not linked to grammatical gender. Compared to Hungarian, the Turkish accusative marking is somewhat lower in availability, but somewhat higher in detectability. The processing of these cues by aphasics was tested using the design of MacWhinney, Pléh, and Bates (1985. Cognitive Psychology, 17, 178–209). Simple sentences with two nouns and one transitive verb were read to Broca's and Wernicke's aphasics, anomics, and control subjects in both Turkey and Hungary. The main effect of case marking was extremely strong. However, this was not true for all groups. The aphasics used the case cue far less than the normals, with the Hungarian Wernicke's group showing the greatest loss. Word order variations were largely ignored in all groups whenever the case-marking cue was present. When case marking was absent, Turkish subjects had a clear SOV interpretation for NNV sentences and Hungarians had a clear SVO interpretation for NVN sentences, in accord with basic patterns in their languages. When there was a contrast between the animacy of the two nouns, subjects choose the animate nouns significantly more often. The effect of animacy was particularly strong in Turkish, in accord with basic facts of Turkish grammar. In Hungarian, VNN sentences without case marking were interpreted as VOS when the first noun was inanimate. In Turkish, VNN sentences without case marking were often interpreted as VSO. In general, the aphasic subjects showed a clear preservation of virtually all aspects of their native languages, albeit in a much noisier form. Despite the high reliability of the case-marking cue, it was damaged more than the word order cue in English subjects. The near-chance processing of the case cue by the Wernicke's aphasics in Hungarian can probably be attributed to the relatively greater difficulty involved in detecting the Hungarian accusative suffix.