A Microcomparative Study of Negation in Dialectal Variation

方言变异中否定的微观比较研究

• 批准号: 2234039
• 负责人: Frances Blanchette
• 金额: $ 38.43万
• 依托单位: Pennsylvania State Univ University Park
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-09-01 至 2026-08-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2234039&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Microcomparative; Study; Negation; Dialectal; Variation

Linguistic variation, or the use of different words, sounds, or grammatical structures to communicate the same meaning, is a fundamental aspect of language. A well-known example is the use of "pop," "soda," and "coke" to refer to sweetened carbonated beverages in different regions of the US. While variation in word choice between different regions is often considered unremarkable and even entertaining by non-specialists, other types of variation receive more scrutiny. For example, while some speakers use sentences like, "I didn’t eat anything this morning" to express that they skipped breakfast, others might say "I didn’t eat nothing." From a linguistic perspective, this type of variation has the same systematicity and legitimacy as variation between words for carbonated beverages. However, double negatives like "I didn’t eat nothing" are often considered by non-specialists to be incorrect, and carry social stigma. Examples like these are present in many linguistic varieties, and studies have shown that even speakers who do not use "mainstream forms" can easily understand them in context. This project collects new information from a variety of speakers of different dialects–many of whom are often excluded from academic research. Through comparing how individuals from different regions and ethnic groups use certain types of negative sentences, the project uncovers areas where these groups overlap in their linguistic knowledge, and it more accurately delineates differences that exist. Previous experimental research on non-mainstream forms, such as the case of double negative, which is also known as Negative Concord, has included speakers of mainstream varieties. It suggests that there may be more areas of grammatical overlap between mainstream and non-mainstream varieties than one might expect based on the sentences they produce. This project explores the extent of this overlap, by comparing the real time comprehension of speakers of these varieties directly. To compare and contrast the grammatical knowledge that different speakers have of Negative Concord, the project explores two abilities considered signatures of such knowledge: prediction of an upcoming word or structure, and the association of social information about contexts in which a structure is likely to appear. The researchers employ the methods of phoneme detection–a measure of prediction, and eye tracking, which is a measurement of real time comprehension and association, including social knowledge. The project contributes much needed data on speakers who are not proportionally included in experimental research on language. In addition, the project employs undergraduate and community researchers from underrepresented minority groups, providing unique experience and training opportunities. The research team leverages their expertise in scientific communication for public audiences to translate project results for broad consumption.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

语言变异，或使用不同的单词，声音或语法结构来传达相同的意思，是语言的一个基本方面。一个众所周知的例子是在美国不同地区使用“pop”，“soda”和“coke”来指代加糖碳酸饮料。虽然不同地区之间的词汇选择差异通常被非专业人士认为是不起眼的，甚至是有趣的，但其他类型的差异受到更多的关注。例如，有些人用“我今天早上什么都没吃”这样的句子来表达他们没吃早餐，而其他人可能会说“我什么都没吃”。“从语言学的角度来看，这种类型的变异与碳酸饮料词之间的变异具有相同的系统性和合法性。然而，像“我什么都没吃”这样的双重否定往往被非专业人士认为是不正确的，并带有社会耻辱。像这样的例子存在于许多语言变体中，研究表明，即使不使用“主流形式”的说话者也可以很容易地在上下文中理解它们。该项目从不同方言的各种各样的人那里收集新的信息，其中许多人经常被排除在学术研究之外。通过比较来自不同地区和民族的个人如何使用某些类型的否定句，该项目揭示了这些群体在语言知识方面的重叠领域，并更准确地描述了存在的差异。 以前对非主流形式的实验研究，例如双重否定的情况，也被称为否定和谐，包括主流变体的扬声器。这表明，主流和非主流变体之间的语法重叠区域可能比人们根据它们产生的句子所预期的要多。本项目通过直接比较这些变体的说话者的真实的时间理解来探索这种重叠的程度。为了比较和对比不同说话者对消极和谐的语法知识，该项目探索了两种被认为是这种知识的标志的能力：预测即将到来的单词或结构，以及关于结构可能出现的上下文的社会信息的关联。研究人员采用了音素检测（一种预测措施）和眼动追踪（一种真实的理解和联想（包括社会知识）的测量方法。该项目提供了急需的数据，这些数据是关于语言实验研究中没有按比例包括的说话者的。此外，该项目雇用了来自代表性不足的少数群体的本科生和社区研究人员，提供独特的经验和培训机会。该研究团队利用他们在科学传播方面的专业知识，为公众提供广泛的消费。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。