Absolutní a proporcionální frekvence v ČNK ve světle výzkumu morfosyntaktické variace v češtině

This contribution discusses three ways of operationalising the notion of frequency as it relates to how often an item occurs in a corpus: the proportional frequency of forms (i.e. percentage of time that one or another variant is found) and two ways of looking at absolute frequency. Working with data from unmotivated morphological variation in Czech case forms, we show that different types of data contribute to some extent to the way variation is perceived and implemented by native speakers, but suggest that proportional frequency seems most salient for speakers in forming their impressions and shaping their behaviour

Frequency data from corpora partially explain native-speaker ratings and choices in overabundant paradigm cells

If we can operationalize corpus frequency in multiple ways, using absolute values and proportional values, which of them is more closely connected with the behaviour of language users? In this contribution, we examine overabundant cells in morphological paradigms, and look at the contribution that frequency of occurrence can make to understanding the choices speakers make due to this richness. We look at ways of operationalizing the term frequency in data from corpora and native speakers: the proportional frequency of forms (i.e. percentage of time that a variant is found in corpus data considered as a proportion of all variants) and several interpretations of absolute frequency (i.e. the raw frequency of variants in data from the same corpus). Working with data from unmotivated morphological variation in Czech case forms, we show that different instantiations of frequency help interpret the way variation is perceived and maintained by native speakers. Proportional frequency seems most salient for speakers in forming their judgements, while certain types of absolute frequency seem to have a dominant role in production tasks

Uncertainty in the production of Czech noun and verb forms

We examine the reactions of Czech native speakers to cues asking them to supply inflectional forms of nouns and verbs that are either canonical (non-variant), overabundant, or supposedly defective, to see what distinguishing characteristics these three conditions have for production. We find that respondents handle defective material differently from other conditions, producing different sorts of forms at different frequencies, and taking significantly longer to do so. Overabundant cells pattern at the individual level like canonical inflectional cells, but collectively display a significantly more varied and less focused spread of forms produced than our canonical cells. The individual dimension of uncertainty in production is thus limited to defective cells, but the collective dimension of uncertainty is evident between all three conditions

Morphological variation and sensitivity to frequency of forms among native speakers of Czech

This article looks at inter-speaker variation in two environments: the genitive and locative singular cases of masculine ‘hard inanimate’ nouns in Czech, using a large-scale survey of native speakers that used two tasks to test their preferences for certain forms (acceptability) and their choices (gap filling). Our hypothesis that such variation exists was upheld, but only within limited parameters. Most biographical data (age, gender, education) played no role in respondents’ choices or preferences. Their region of origin played a small but significant role, although not the one expected. Relating the two types of tasks to each other, we found that respondents’ use of the ratings scale did not correlate to their choice of forms, but their overall strength of preference for one form over another did correlate with their choices. Inter-speaker variation does thus go some way to explaining the persistent diversity in this paradigm and arguably may contribute to its maintenance

The linguistic landscape of a Czech heritage site : recording and presenting the past and present of Hrubý Rohozec

In this study, we examine the linguistic landscape of Hrubý Rohozec, a stately home in the northern Czech Republic that is open to the public, as well as that of the surrounding town of Turnov. In doing so, we describe the visual environment of signage and written language use in the stately home, and suggest how and why the practices of signage and display differ from area to area around the stately home, as well as how the situation at Hrubý Rohozec differs functionally and ideologically from the local environment. The evolving history of the building, the particular nature of the information conveyed, the projected audience and the ideological stance towards them and towards the home’s history all contribute to a complex picture facing the observer

Trajectories of change in paradigmatic cells in Czech

We examine a well-known phenomenon in the development of the Czech nominal declension system: the gradual supplanting of the original o-stem ending in the locative singular with the u-stem ending. We observe that, contrary to expectations from the literature based primarily on studies of English, this shift has been in progress for a millennium and, in the high-frequency nouns for which we have enough data to observe, the opposing trend is also frequently in evidence: the o-stem ending is introduced to lexemes where it was not found earlier. In the absence of a single, overriding motivation that could have derailed this shift from following the classic ‘S-curve’ pattern, we propose re-examining the retextualization model as a more fitting one for the complex interaction of factors and forms found in languages with complex inflectional morphology

From standard to norm through the lens of corpora and native speakers

Do corpus data offer us clear insight into how native speakers perceive and use forms that are said to be stylistically circumscribed? We examine two features from Czech verbal morphology, contrasting their description in grammars with findings from the Czech National Corpus. We then test whether corpus frequency is predictive of usage and evaluation through experiments in which native speakers rated and completed forms in sentence-long contexts. The results show that corpus frequency is a good predictor, while the stylistic differentiation between these forms proves complex to assess in studies of this type