A Microcomparative Study of Negation in Dialectal Variation

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，在美国不同的地区，人们用“POP”、“苏打”和“可乐”来指代含糖碳酸饮料。虽然不同地区之间的词汇选择差异通常被非专业人士视为不起眼，甚至是有趣的，但其他类型的差异受到了更多的审查。例如，当一些说话者用“我今天早上什么都没吃”这样的句子来表示他们没有吃早餐时，另一些人可能会说“我什么都没吃。”从语言学的角度来看，这类变异与碳酸饮料的词间变异具有相同的系统性和合法性。然而，像“我什么都没吃”这样的双重否定经常被非专业人士认为是不正确的，并带有社会污名。这样的例子出现在许多语言变体中，研究表明，即使是不使用“主流形式”的人也能很容易地在上下文中理解它们。这个项目收集了来自不同方言的各种说话者的新信息--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人如何使用某些类型的否定句子，该项目揭示了这些群体在语言知识上重叠的领域，并更准确地描绘出存在的差异。以前对非主流形式的实验研究，如双重否定，也被称为否定和谐，已经包括了主流类型的说话人。这表明，主流语种和非主流语种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更多。这个项目通过直接比较这些不同类型的说话者的实时理解来探索这种重叠的程度。为了比较和对比不同说话者所拥有的消极一致性的语法知识，该项目探索了两种被认为是此类知识的特征的能力：对即将到来的单词或结构的预测，以及关于结构可能出现的语境的社会信息的关联。研究人员使用了音素检测和眼球跟踪的方法，音素检测是预测的一种衡量标准，眼神追踪是对实时理解和联想的衡量，包括社会知识。该项目提供了语言实验研究中未按比例纳入的说话者的急需数据。此外，该项目还聘请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。研究团队利用他们在面向公众的科学交流方面的专业知识，将项目成果转化为广泛的消费。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

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.