RedTyp: A Database of Reduplication with Computational Models

Reduplication is a theoretically and typologically well-studied phenomenon, but there is no database of reduplication patterns which include explicit computational models. This paper introduces RedTyp, an SQL database which provides a computational resource that can be used by both theoretical and computational linguists who work on reduplication. It catalogs 138 reduplicative morphemes across 91 languages, which are modeled with 57 distinct finite-state machines. The finite-state machines are 2-way transducers, which provide an explicit, compact, and convenient representation for reduplication patterns, and which arguably capture the linguistic generalizations more directly than the more commonly used 1-way transducers for modeling natural language morphophonology

Kun-dangwok: ''clan lects'' and Ausbau in western Arnhem Land

The sociolinguistic concept of an Ausbau language is widely thought of as exclusively associated with the standardization of languages for the political and social purposes of nation states. Language policy initiated by state institutions, the development of literacy and new specialist registers of language are typical elements involved in the Ausbau process. However, the linguistic ideologies of small language groups such as those of the minority languages of Aboriginal Australia can drive certain forms of deliberate language elaboration. An important aspect of Aboriginal linguistic ideology is language diversity, reflected in the development of elemental sociolinguistic varieties such as patrician lects. In the Bininj Kun-wok dialect chain of western Arnhem Land, a regional system of lectal differentiation known as Kun-dangwok has developed, reflecting an Aboriginal linguistic ideology whereby being different, especially different ways of speaking, are seen as central aspects of identity. The functions of the Kun-dangwok clan led system are described using examples of naturally occurring conversation which provide evidence that clan lects are the result of an Ausbau process that results in the opposite of language standardization and an increase in Abstand between varieties

Probing RNN Encoder-Decoder Generalization of Subregular Functions using Reduplication

This paper examines the generalization abilities of encoder-decoder networks on a class of subregular functions characteristic of natural language reduplication. We find that, for the simulations we run, attention is a necessary and sufficient mechanism for learning generalizable reduplication. We examine attention alignment to connect RNN computation to a class of 2-way transducers

Palatalization and other non-local effects in Southern Bantu languages.

Palatalization in Southern Bantu languages presents a number of challenges to phonological theory. Unlike 'canonical' palatalization, the process generally affects labial consonants rather than coronals or dorsals. It applies in the absence of an obvious palatalizing trigger and it can apply non-locally, affecting labials that are some distance from the palatalizing suffix. The process has been variously treated as morphologically triggered (e.g. Herbert 1977, 1990) or phonologically triggered (e.g. Cole 1992). I take a phonological approach and analyze the data using the constraint-based framework of Optimality Theory. I propose that the palatalizing trigger takes the form of a lexically floating palatal feature cor (Mester and ltd 1989 Yip 1992 Zoll 1996). The study locates siSwati palatalization within its broader Southern Bantu context. In my analysis I show that the behaviour of the other selected Bantu languages' palatalization follows from an analysis parallel to siSwati. Palatalization in all the languages involves an attempt to link the V-Place cor to a labial in the passive, diminutive, and locative and in addition, to an alveolar in the diminutive. The cor either palatalizes the root-final labial, as in khipha > khijv'a 'remove', or may surface as in the passive, as in pha > phiwa 'give'. Realization of the cor feature is dependent on language-specific differences. The languages investigated are compared within an Optimality Theory framework, showing that their differences follow from universal constraint re-rankings. I also include in this study other processes that are related to long distance palatalization: vowel harmony/co-articulation and tonal phonology. These processes show us that long distance effects are not peculiar to palatalization, since vowel harmony/co-articulation may also involve non-adjacent segments. Tone shift and tone spread may result in tone being realized syllables away from its underlying source. The vowel facts and some of the tonal facts of siSwati have been investigated phonetically. It is argued that while Sesotho shows true vowel harmony, siSwati is still at the co-articulation stage. This difference is also modelled as re-ranking in an Optimality Theory grammar

On regular copying languages

This paper proposes a formal model of regular languages enriched with unbounded copying. We augment finite-state machinery with the ability to recognize copied strings by adding an unbounded memory buffer with a restricted form of first-in-first-out storage. The newly introduced computational device, finite-state buffered machines (FS-BMs), characterizes the class of regular languages and languages de-rived from them through a primitive copying operation. We name this language class regular copying languages (RCLs). We prove a pumping lemma and examine the closure properties of this language class. As suggested by previous literature (Gazdar and Pullum 1985, p.278), regular copying languages should approach the correct characteriza-tion of natural language word sets

Preliminary Study of Validating Vocabulary Selection and Organization of A Manual Communication Board in Malay.

An integral component of a language-based augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) system is providing vocabulary typical of fluent native language speakers. In the absence of reliable and valid research on Malay vocabulary for AAC, this descriptive study explored the validation process of vocabulary selection and organization for a 144-location manual communication board. An hour of aided language samples (talking while pointing to a prototype display) followed by self-administered surveys were gathered from four typical native Malay speakers (n=4), aged between 22 to 36 years at the University of Pittsburgh. Vocabulary frequency analysis, word commonality, and overall perceptions and feedback on the prototype display were compiled and analyzed. A total of 1112 word tokens and 454 word types were analyzed to support preliminary validation of the selected vocabulary and word organization of the prototype. Approximately 40% of the words on the display were used during the interview and the top 20 words were reported. Findings also suggest the importance of morphology and syntax considerations at early design stages. The positive overall perception of the display including vocabulary selection, the cultural and ethnicity appropriateness, and suggestions for system improvement were confirmed by the usability survey. Minimal rearrangement of the icon display needs to be performed to improve the usability of the system. Thus, the study findings support the early Malay manual communication board for AAC intervention. However, the limitation of the sample size and additional research is required to support a final display that optimizes vocabulary and morphosyntactic organization of a manual communication board in Malay

Temporal, aspectual and modal expression in Anindilyakwa, the language of the Groote Eylandt Archipelago, Australia

This thesis provides an empirically driven and theoretically informed examination of temporal, aspectual and modal (TAM) expression in Anindilyakwa, an underdescribed and underdocumented Gunwinyguan language of the Groote Eylandt archipelago, north-east Arnhem Land, Australia. The goals of the thesis are both descriptive and theoretical. The first is to provide a detailed description of some of the core grammatical properties of Anindilyakwa, particularly related to the verbal complex. This descriptive goal is linked to, and builds the infrastructure for, the second goal of the thesis: to provide a theoretically-informed examination of temporal, aspectual and modal expression and interaction in Anindilyakwa, thus contributing towards (and building upon) research in the area of TAM semantics and pragmatics (and their interfaces with morpho-syntax). The original contribution of this thesis lies in the cross-section between theoretically-informed morpho-syntactic, semantic and pragmatic approaches to TAM expression in natural languages, and the exploration and examination of this domain in a fieldwork and language documentation setting: how do underdescribed languages inform our understanding of this domain, and how should we approach the documentation of these concepts in the field? Anindilyakwa is a particularly interesting language to examine in this regard, given the polysynthetic nature and complex morphological make-up and combinatorics of the verb. Inflectionally, TAM expression is realised through the combination of (at least) two discontinuous morphological slots of the verb structure. In addition to the complex morphological combinatorics of the verbal structure, this inflectional system displays widespread aspectuo-temporal underspecification, coupled with a widespread lack of contrastiveness in many of the paradigmatic forms (i.e. syncretism). Thus, unpacking and understanding these inflectional verbal properties, with respect to TAM expression, is where the core of this thesis lies. This comprehensive semantic and morpho-syntactic investigation into the TAM system of Anindilyakwa contributes not only to the description of this underdocumented language, but it also bolsters the representation of understudied (particularly non-European) languages that have received detailed TAM study, ensuring that future cross-linguistic typological work on TAM has access to richer data in a wider sample of the world's languages