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

Author

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  • Shimpei Okuda

    (Nagoya University)

  • Michio Hosaka

    (Nihon University)

  • Kazutoshi Sasahara

    (Tokyo Institute of Technology)

Abstract

Languages have diverse characteristics that have emerged through evolution. In modern English grammar, the perfect is formed with have+PP (past participle), but in earlier English, the be+PP form also existed. It is widely recognised that the auxiliary verb BE was replaced by HAVE throughout evolution, except for some special cases. However, whether this evolution was caused by natural selection or random drift is still unclear. Here we examined directional forces in the evolution of the English perfect with intransitive by combining three large-scale data sources: Early English Books Online (EEBO), Corpus of Historical American English (COHA), and Google Books. We found that most intransitive verbs exhibited an apparent transition from be+PP to have+PP, most of which were classified as ‘selection’ by a deep neural network-based model. These results suggest that the English perfect could have evolved through natural selection rather than random drift, and provide insights into the cultural evolution of grammar.

Suggested Citation

  • Shimpei Okuda & Michio Hosaka & Kazutoshi Sasahara, 2023. "Detecting directional forces in the evolution of grammar: A case study of the English perfect with intransitives across EEBO, COHA, and Google Books," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-8, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:pal:palcom:v:10:y:2023:i:1:d:10.1057_s41599-023-01766-z
    DOI: 10.1057/s41599-023-01766-z
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Mitchell G. Newberry & Christopher A. Ahern & Robin Clark & Joshua B. Plotkin, 2017. "Detecting evolutionary forces in language change," Nature, Nature, vol. 551(7679), pages 223-226, November.
    2. Richard A. Blythe, 2012. "Neutral Evolution: A Null Model For Language Dynamics," Advances in Complex Systems (ACS), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 15(03n04), pages 1-20.
    3. Erez Lieberman & Jean-Baptiste Michel & Joe Jackson & Tina Tang & Martin A. Nowak, 2007. "Quantifying the evolutionary dynamics of language," Nature, Nature, vol. 449(7163), pages 713-716, October.
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