Linguistics and Languages

Detecting directional forces in the evolution of grammar: A case study of the English perfect with intransitives across EEBO, COHA, and Google Books

S. Okuda, M. Hosaka, et al.

This research by Shimpei Okuda, Michio Hosaka, and Kazutoshi Sasahara delves into the evolutionary forces driving the English perfect tense's transition from 'be+PP' to 'have+PP' constructions in intransitive verbs. Using extensive corpora analysis and a neural network model, the study reveals the dominance of natural selection in this grammatical shift.

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Abstract

This paper investigates the directional forces behind the evolution of the English perfect tense, focusing on the shift from the 'be+PP' to 'have+PP' construction with intransitive verbs. Using three large-scale corpora (EEBO, COHA, and Google Books), the authors analyze the frequency changes of these constructions across centuries. A neural network-based model is employed to detect evolutionary forces. The findings suggest that natural selection, rather than random drift, played a significant role in this grammatical shift.

Publisher

Humanities and Social Sciences Communications

Published On

Jun 05, 2023

Authors

Shimpei Okuda, Michio Hosaka, Kazutoshi Sasahara

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