Title: MULTI-FACTORIAL CHOICES IN SPEAKING
1MULTI-FACTORIAL CHOICES IN SPEAKING
- Andrej A. Kibrik
- (Institute of Linguistics, Russian Academy of
Sciences) - kibrik_at_comtv.ru
2CHOICE
- As people speak, they constantly make choices
- There are several (partially overlapping) types
of choices involved
3Unique choice
- Choosing a lexical item to describe ones own
emotion - I am glad (OKhappy, ??joyful, amused) you are
willing to attend our workshop
4Prompted 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
5Prompted 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. Jakobsons notion of grammatical category and
Slobins Thinking for speaking framework
6Forced 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 dont have a ticket, you should get one
- cf. Russian Esli u vas net bileta, vam nuzhno
kupit __
7Probabilistic 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
8Features 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
9Example 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
10Example 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
11Referential 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
speakers working memory - probabilistic
12Referential choice is probabilistic
- 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
13Example 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
14Example 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
15Finite 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
16Clause 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
17Example 3. Direction of pitch in accent
(Russian) rising vs. falling
- ..(0.3) ?????????? ?? ???? /???????,
- We watched that /concert,
- ..(0.1) ????-?? \???-???.
- (and) went \somewhere.
- ...(0.6) ??? ..(0.3) ??(0.3) ..(0.4) ?? ?????????
??? /???? ? ??????, - Then we meet my /mom with my dad,
- ...(0.6) \??????-??,
- from \somewhere,
- ...(0.9) ? ' ..(0.3) ?? ' ..(0.4) ????-??
\???????. - and we started for some \place.
18Direction 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
19Direction of pitch in accent is probabilistic
- ...(0.6) ??? ..(0.3) ??(0.3) ..(0.4) ?? ?????????
??? /???? ? ??????, - Then we meet my /mom with my dad,
20Direction of pitch in accent is probabilistic
- ...(0.6) ??? ..(0.3) ??(0.3) ..(0.4) ?? ?????????
??? \?? ?? ? ??????, - 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.
21Further features of multi-factorial,
probabilistic choices
- Can be very quick
- Routinized
- Hardly consciously made
- But very efficient and very important
- lack of the ability to perform aforementioned
choices would mean a real aphasia - Dont have to be discrete, can be continuous
22Role 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
23Questions 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
24Occasional 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).
25Concluding 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
26Making the right choice is important
27Sometimes it is really probabilistic
28But not making a choice can even be lethal
Buridans ass