Gerhard Jäger
Datos Biográficos
| ID | 487532 |
|---|---|
| NOMBRE | Gerhard Jäger |
| NOMBRES | Gerhard |
| APELLIDO | Jäger |
| FIRMA | JÄGER G |
| AFILIACIONES | University of Tübingen |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-9642-9359 |
| VERIFICADO | Sí |
| TOTAL DE OBRAS | 28 |
| TOTAL DE CITAS | 35 |
| TOTAL COMO AUTOR | 26 |
| TOTAL COMO EDITOR | 2 |
| PRIMER AÑO DE PUBLICACIÓN | 1968 |
| AÑO MÁS RECIENTE DE PUBLICACIÓN | 2021 |
| ÍNDICE H | 4 |
Ancient Connections in Eurasia
Numeral classifiers and number marking in Indo-Iranian
This paper investigates the origins of sortal numeral classifiers in the Indo-Iranian languages. While these are often assumed to result from contact with non-Indo-European languages, an alternative possibility is that classifiers developed as a response to the rise of optional plural marking. This alternative is in line with the so-called Greenberg-Sanches-Slobin (henceforth GSS ) generalization. The GSS generalization holds that the presence of…
Model evaluation in computational historical linguistics
This is a reply to the comments by Hammarström et al. (This volume) and List (This volume) on the target article Computational Historical Linguistics (This volume). There I proposed several methodological principles for research in Computational Historical Linguistics pertaining to suitable techniques for model fitting and model evaluation. Hammarström et al. debate the usefulness of these principles, and List proposes a novel evaluation measure …
Computational historical linguistics
Computational approaches to historical linguistics have been proposed for half a century. Within the last decade, this line of research has received a major boost, owing both to the transfer of ideas and software from computational biology and to the release of several large electronic data resources suitable for systematic comparative work. In this article, some of the central research topics of this new wave of computational historical linguist…
Using ancestral state reconstruction methods for onomasiological reconstruction in multilingual word lists
Current efforts in computational historical linguistics are predominantly concerned with phylogenetic inference. Methods for ancestral state reconstruction have only been applied sporadically. In contrast to phylogenetic algorithms, automatic reconstruction methods presuppose phylogenetic information in order to explain what has evolved when and where. Here we report a pilot study exploring how well automatic methods for ancestral state reconstru…
The evolution of language families is shaped by the environment beyond neutral drift
The Role of Simple Semantics in the Process of Artificial Grammar Learning
Grice, Occam, Darwin
Reply to commentaries
Probabilistic pragmatics, or why Bayes’ rule is probably important for pragmatics
Probabilistic pragmatics aspires to explain certain regularities of language use and interpretation as behavior of speakers and listeners who want to satisfy their conversational interests in a context that may contain a substantial amount of uncertainty. This approach differs substantially from more familiar approaches in theoretical pragmatics. To set it apart, we here work out some of its key distinguishing features and show, by way of some si…
Phylogenetic Inference from Word Lists Using Weighted Alignment with Empirically Determined Weights
The paper investigates the task of inferring a phylogenetic tree of languages from the collection of word lists made available by the Automated Similarity Judgment Project . This task involves three steps: (1) computing pairwise word distances, (2) aggregating word distances to a distance measure between languages and inferring a phylogenetic tree from these distances, and (3) evaluating the result by comparing it to expert classifications. For t…
Game theory in semantics and pragmatics
Using Statistics for Cross-linguistic Semantics
The paper presents a statistical evaluation of the typological data about colour naming systems across the languages of the world that have been obtained by the World Color Survey. In a first step, we discuss a principal component analysis of the categorization data. This leads to a small set of easily interpretable features that are dominant in colour categorization. These features were used for a dimensionality reduction of the categorization d…
Language, Games, and Evolution
Priming as a testing ground for historical linguists? – A reply to Chang, Eckardt and Traugott
Priming and unidirectional language change
In this paper we argue that the psycholinguistic mechanism of priming may account for the empirical observation that grammaticalization processes typically proceed in one direction only. It is shown how two well-known unidirectional changes, i.e. the development from spatial to temporal expressions and phonological reduction, may be connected to cases of asymmetric priming as reported in the psycholinguistic literature. In these cases a form or c…
Language structure
In this article we discuss the notion of a linguistic universal, and possible sources of such invariant properties of natural languages. In the first part, we explore the conceptual issues that arise. In the second part of the paper, we focus on the explanatory potential of horizontal evolution. We particularly focus on two case studies, concerning Zipf’s Law and universal properties of color terms, respectively. We show how computer simulations …
Evolutionary Game Theory and Typology
This article deals with the typology of the case marking of semantic core roles. The competing economy considerations of hearer (disambiguation) and speaker (minimal effort) are formalized in terms of EVOLUTIONARY GAME THEORY. It is shown that the case-marking patterns that are attested in the languages of the world are those that are evolutionarily stable for different relative weightings of speaker economy and hearer economy, given the statisti…
The winner takes it all — almost
In this article we show that cumulativity is necessary to account for probabilistic variation found in actual language use, and we compare the accuracy of the predictions that different versions of stochastic OT make. We distinguish two versions of cumulativity, namely ganging-up cumulativity and counting cumulativity . We will compare how Paul Boersma's (1998) version of stochastic OT on the one hand and Maximum entropy models on the other hand …
Anaphora and Type Logical Grammar
Alternatives or presuppositions? A comparison of the Background-Presupposition Rule with Alternative Semantics
Article Alternatives or presuppositions? A comparison of the Background-Presupposition Rule with Alternative Semantics was published on September 2, 2004 in the journal Theoretical Linguistics (volume 30, issue 1)
Learning Constraint Subhierarchies
It is a common feature of many case marking languages that some, but not all objects are case marked.1 However, it is usually not entirely random which objects are marked and which aren’t. Rather, case marking only applies to a morphologically or semantically well-defined class of NPs. Take Hebrew as an example. In this language, definite objects carry an accusative morpheme while indefinite objects are unmarked
Topic-Comment Structure and the Contrast Between Stage Level and Individual Level Predicates
The paper re‐examines the relevance of Carlson's (1977) distinction between stage level predicates and individual level predicates for several modules of grammar. In the first part of the paper, it is argued that rather than assume a uniform stage level vs. individual level distinction, we have to distinguish several similar but independent contrasts. Thus it is demonstrated that a unified explanation of all linguistic phenomena that are consider…
Papers on predicative constructions
This volume presents a collection of papers touching on various issues concerning the syntax and semantics of predicative constructions. A hot topic in the study of predicative copula constructions, with direct implications for the treatment of he (how many he's do we need?), and wider implications for the theories of predication, event-based semantics and aspect, is the nature and source of the situation argument. Closer examination of copula-le…
Towards an explanation of copula effects
This paper deals with a series of semantic contrasts between the copula "be" and the preposition "as", two functional elements that both head elementary predication structures. It will be argued that the meaning of "as" is a type lowering device shifting the meaning of its complement NP from generalized quantifier type to property type (where properties are conceived as relations between individuals and situations), while the copula "be" induces …
Evolutionary Game Theory and Typology
This article deals with the typology of the case marking of semantic core roles. The competing economy considerations of hearer (disambiguation) and speaker (minimal effort) are formalized in terms of EVOLUTIONARY GAME THEORY. It is shown that the case-marking patterns that are attested in the languages of the world are those that are evolutionarily stable for different relative weightings of speaker economy and hearer economy, given the statisti…
Priming and unidirectional language change
In this paper we argue that the psycholinguistic mechanism of priming may account for the empirical observation that grammaticalization processes typically proceed in one direction only. It is shown how two well-known unidirectional changes, i.e. the development from spatial to temporal expressions and phonological reduction, may be connected to cases of asymmetric priming as reported in the psycholinguistic literature. In these cases a form or c…
The winner takes it all — almost
In this article we show that cumulativity is necessary to account for probabilistic variation found in actual language use, and we compare the accuracy of the predictions that different versions of stochastic OT make. We distinguish two versions of cumulativity, namely ganging-up cumulativity and counting cumulativity . We will compare how Paul Boersma's (1998) version of stochastic OT on the one hand and Maximum entropy models on the other hand …
Language structure
In this article we discuss the notion of a linguistic universal, and possible sources of such invariant properties of natural languages. In the first part, we explore the conceptual issues that arise. In the second part of the paper, we focus on the explanatory potential of horizontal evolution. We particularly focus on two case studies, concerning Zipf’s Law and universal properties of color terms, respectively. We show how computer simulations …
The evolution of language families is shaped by the environment beyond neutral drift
The Role of Simple Semantics in the Process of Artificial Grammar Learning
"Nus" in Platons Dialogen
Zur Beweistheorie Der Kripke-Platek-Mengenlehre Über Den Natürlichen Zahlen
Stage levels, states, and the semantics of the copula
The paper investigates the issue whether the stage-level/individual level contrast introduced by Carlson 1977 requires the assumption of two homonymous copulas depending on the categorization of the predicative. We argue that instead of a uniform stage-level/individual level distinction we have to distinguish several similar but independent contrasts, none of which crucially depend on the semantics of the copula. In the second part of the paper, …
Towards an explanation of copula effects
This paper deals with a series of semantic contrasts between the copula "be" and the preposition "as", two functional elements that both head elementary predication structures. It will be argued that the meaning of "as" is a type lowering device shifting the meaning of its complement NP from generalized quantifier type to property type (where properties are conceived as relations between individuals and situations), while the copula "be" induces …
Topic-Comment Structure and the Contrast Between Stage Level and Individual Level Predicates
The paper re‐examines the relevance of Carlson's (1977) distinction between stage level predicates and individual level predicates for several modules of grammar. In the first part of the paper, it is argued that rather than assume a uniform stage level vs. individual level distinction, we have to distinguish several similar but independent contrasts. Thus it is demonstrated that a unified explanation of all linguistic phenomena that are consider…
Papers on predicative constructions
This volume presents a collection of papers touching on various issues concerning the syntax and semantics of predicative constructions. A hot topic in the study of predicative copula constructions, with direct implications for the treatment of he (how many he's do we need?), and wider implications for the theories of predication, event-based semantics and aspect, is the nature and source of the situation argument. Closer examination of copula-le…
Alternatives or presuppositions? A comparison of the Background-Presupposition Rule with Alternative Semantics
Article Alternatives or presuppositions? A comparison of the Background-Presupposition Rule with Alternative Semantics was published on September 2, 2004 in the journal Theoretical Linguistics (volume 30, issue 1)
Learning Constraint Subhierarchies
It is a common feature of many case marking languages that some, but not all objects are case marked.1 However, it is usually not entirely random which objects are marked and which aren’t. Rather, case marking only applies to a morphologically or semantically well-defined class of NPs. Take Hebrew as an example. In this language, definite objects carry an accusative morpheme while indefinite objects are unmarked
Anaphora and Type Logical Grammar
The winner takes it all — almost
In this article we show that cumulativity is necessary to account for probabilistic variation found in actual language use, and we compare the accuracy of the predictions that different versions of stochastic OT make. We distinguish two versions of cumulativity, namely ganging-up cumulativity and counting cumulativity . We will compare how Paul Boersma's (1998) version of stochastic OT on the one hand and Maximum entropy models on the other hand …
Language structure
In this article we discuss the notion of a linguistic universal, and possible sources of such invariant properties of natural languages. In the first part, we explore the conceptual issues that arise. In the second part of the paper, we focus on the explanatory potential of horizontal evolution. We particularly focus on two case studies, concerning Zipf’s Law and universal properties of color terms, respectively. We show how computer simulations …
Evolutionary Game Theory and Typology
This article deals with the typology of the case marking of semantic core roles. The competing economy considerations of hearer (disambiguation) and speaker (minimal effort) are formalized in terms of EVOLUTIONARY GAME THEORY. It is shown that the case-marking patterns that are attested in the languages of the world are those that are evolutionarily stable for different relative weightings of speaker economy and hearer economy, given the statisti…
Priming as a testing ground for historical linguists? – A reply to Chang, Eckardt and Traugott
Priming and unidirectional language change
In this paper we argue that the psycholinguistic mechanism of priming may account for the empirical observation that grammaticalization processes typically proceed in one direction only. It is shown how two well-known unidirectional changes, i.e. the development from spatial to temporal expressions and phonological reduction, may be connected to cases of asymmetric priming as reported in the psycholinguistic literature. In these cases a form or c…
Language, Games, and Evolution
Game theory in semantics and pragmatics
Using Statistics for Cross-linguistic Semantics
The paper presents a statistical evaluation of the typological data about colour naming systems across the languages of the world that have been obtained by the World Color Survey. In a first step, we discuss a principal component analysis of the categorization data. This leads to a small set of easily interpretable features that are dominant in colour categorization. These features were used for a dimensionality reduction of the categorization d…
Phylogenetic Inference from Word Lists Using Weighted Alignment with Empirically Determined Weights
The paper investigates the task of inferring a phylogenetic tree of languages from the collection of word lists made available by the Automated Similarity Judgment Project . This task involves three steps: (1) computing pairwise word distances, (2) aggregating word distances to a distance measure between languages and inferring a phylogenetic tree from these distances, and (3) evaluating the result by comparing it to expert classifications. For t…
Grice, Occam, Darwin
Reply to commentaries
Probabilistic pragmatics, or why Bayes’ rule is probably important for pragmatics
Probabilistic pragmatics aspires to explain certain regularities of language use and interpretation as behavior of speakers and listeners who want to satisfy their conversational interests in a context that may contain a substantial amount of uncertainty. This approach differs substantially from more familiar approaches in theoretical pragmatics. To set it apart, we here work out some of its key distinguishing features and show, by way of some si…
The Role of Simple Semantics in the Process of Artificial Grammar Learning
Using ancestral state reconstruction methods for onomasiological reconstruction in multilingual word lists
Current efforts in computational historical linguistics are predominantly concerned with phylogenetic inference. Methods for ancestral state reconstruction have only been applied sporadically. In contrast to phylogenetic algorithms, automatic reconstruction methods presuppose phylogenetic information in order to explain what has evolved when and where. Here we report a pilot study exploring how well automatic methods for ancestral state reconstru…
The evolution of language families is shaped by the environment beyond neutral drift
Model evaluation in computational historical linguistics
This is a reply to the comments by Hammarström et al. (This volume) and List (This volume) on the target article Computational Historical Linguistics (This volume). There I proposed several methodological principles for research in Computational Historical Linguistics pertaining to suitable techniques for model fitting and model evaluation. Hammarström et al. debate the usefulness of these principles, and List proposes a novel evaluation measure …
Linguistics (21 obras) · Computer Science (20 obras) · Philosophy (18 obras) · Syntax, Semantics, Linguistic Variation (15 obras) · Artificial Intelligence (13 obras) · Language and cultural evolution (12 obras) · Natural language processing (12 obras) · Mathematics (11 obras) · Natural Language Processing Techniques (9 obras) · Programming language (9 obras)