The English conative alternation between complexity effects and lexical biases

A Historical Perspective

Bibliographic Data

ID7903690
AuthorsEva Zehentner (0000-0003-3911-4147, University of Zurich, corresponding author)
Year2025
Volume17
Publication date2025-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueLanguage and Cognition (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1866-9808 • E-ISSN: 1866-9859
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/langcog.2025.10007
OpenAlexW4411284869
LanguageEN
References cited67

This paper presents an in-depth study of the English conative construction ( hit the ball vs hit at the ball ), a particular case of variation between NP- and PP-patterns. Approaching the phenomenon from a usage-based, cognitive perspective, the study is interested in the different factors driving this alternation, specifically in the interaction of lexical effects on the one hand and high-level predictors relating to processing complexity on the other hand. More specifically, the paper explores the diachronic dimension of these effects, using corpus data from Middle English to Late Modern English ( Penn-Helsinki Corpora of Historical English ; 1150–1914). To assess the relative impact of the variables, the study compares the traditionally used methods of collostructional analysis and logistic regression to a more recent tool, namely elastic net regression. The findings ultimately indicate that while complexity does seem to play a role in this alternation, there are also strong lexical effects

Cognitive psychology · Linguistics · Categorization, perception, and language · Computer Science · Language, Metaphor, and Cognition · Philosophy · Psychology · Social Psychology · Syntax, Semantics, Linguistic Variation · Artificial Intelligence

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