Analogy in Language 3600-AJ-OG

The course aims at demonstrating an important role played in the language by analogy, usually diminished in diachronic descriptions and often completely ignored in formal synchronic descriptions. Most stress will be put on the areas of phonology and morphology, especially on proportional analogy and levelling, which are typically triggered by frequency criteria; analogy in other areas will be illustrated by an example of metaphor in semantic development. In the diachronic perspective, the analogy-based mechanism of the so-called lexical diffusion will be examined as an alternative to the Neogrammarians’ hypothesis of the regular sound change. The synchronic perspective will concentrate on various methods of modelling analogy in current linguistic frameworks, including versions of Optimality Theory and usage-based approaches.

Type of course

general courses

Prerequisites (description)

(in Polish) Znajomość podstaw językoznawstwa w zakresie fonologii i morfologii, umiejętność czytania literatury przedmiotu w języku angielskim

Learning outcomes

After completing the class the student knows different approaches to analysing and interpreting linguistic data, which will perhaps make her/him more conscious in making choices in her/his own future research work. (S)he also acquires certain knowledge of the phenomenon of analogy in language, current linguistic models, and interesting language data in various European and non-European languages.

Bibliography

Anttila, Raimo. 2005. “Analogy: The warp and woof of cognition”. W: Brian D. Joseph and Richard D. Janda (red.) The Handbook of Historical Linguistics. Malden: Blackwell. 425-440.
Blevins, James P. i Juliette Blevins. 2009. Analogy in Grammar: Form and Acquisition. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Bybee, Joan, 1985. Morphology: A Study of the relation between Meaning and Form, Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins.
Bybee, Joan, 2001, Phonology and Language Use. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Hock, Hans H. 1991. Principles of Historical Linguistics. Berlin/NY/Amsterdam: Mouton de Gruyter. Rozdz. 9-10.
Hock, Hans H. 2005. “Analogical change”. W: Brian D. Joseph and Richard D. Janda (red.) The Handbook of Historical Linguistics. Malden: Blackwell. 441-460.
Kraska-Szlenk, 2007, Analogy: The Relation between Lexicon and Grammar, LINCOM Studies in Theoretical Linguistics 38, Monachium: LINCOM Europa.
Kraska-Szlenk, 2009, “Size vis-à-vis frequency: minimality and maximality constraints in Swahili”. Language Sciences 31/2-3. Special issue: Michael J. Kenstowicz (ed.), Data and Theory: Papers in Phonology in Celebration of Charles W. Kisseberth. 271-284.
Kruszewski, Mikołaj. 1879. “Об ‘аналогии’ и “народной зтимологии” (Volksetymologie)”. Русский филологический вестник, vol. 2:109-120, Warszawa. [Polska wersja w: Wybór pism, Wrocław: Zakład Narodowy im. Ossolińskich, 1967:3-12]
Kuryłowicz, Jerzy. 1947. “La nature des procès dit analogiques”. Acta Linguistica 5: 17-34.
Labov, William. 1972. “On the mechanism of linguistic change”. W: Allan R. Keiler (red.), A Reader in Historical and Comparative Linguistics. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston. 267-288. [Przedruk z: Georgetown University Monograph Series on Languages and Linguistics: Monograph No. 18, 1965:91-114]
Labov, William. 1994. Principles of Linguistic Change. Vol. 1 Internal Factors. Oxford: Blackwell.
Mańczak, Witold, 1996, Problemy językoznawstwa ogólnego, Wrocław: Zakład Narodowy im. Ossolińskich. Rozdz. 7-9.

Additional information

Information on level of this course, year of study and semester when the course unit is delivered, types and amount of class hours - can be found in course structure diagrams of apropriate study programmes. This course is related to the following study programmes:

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Description of 3600-AJ-OG in USOSweb