(with Tatiana Nikitina) Stochastic universals and dynamics of cross-linguistic distributions: the case of alignment types (submitted). [PDF, ms]
- The paper reports the results of a cross-linguistic study of alignment types for full NPs, based on a sample of 400 languages. The novelty of this study lies in combining different cross-linguistic statistical measures in order to detect systematic differences in probabilities of type shifts, which is viewed as a prerequisite for establishing genuinely linguistic stochastic universals, free from non-linguistic random effects (Greenberg 1978; 1995). In particular, our evidence reveals a considerably stronger linguistic preference for morphological nominativity over morphological ergativity than previously suggested (Nichols 1992: 69; Comrie 1989: 124-126; Comrie 2005), with nominative alignment being at least three times more stable than ergative alignment.
Èvoljucionnaja stabil'nost' grammatičeskix strategij organizacii diskursa. [Evolutionary stability of grammatical strategies of discourse organization.]. To appear in Diskursivnye funkcii grammatičeskix pokazatelej [Discourse functions of grammatical markers], 4 (2007).[ PDF (in Russian)]
Stochastic OT as a model of constraint interaction. To appear in Jane Grimshaw, Joan Maling, Chris Manning, Jane Simpson, & Annie Zaenen (Eds.), Architectures, Rules, and Preferences: A Festschrift for Joan Bresnan. CSLI publications. (2006; ROA preprint (PDF)).
Meta-typological distributions. To appear in Sprachtypologie und Universalienvorshung. (2006). [ PDF]
Dinamika tipologičeskix raspredelenij i stabil'nost' jazykovyx tipov. [Dynamics of typological distributions and stability of language types]. Voprosy jazykoznanija, 5, 3-16. (2004). [ PDF, in Russian]
A case for implicational universals (A response to Michael Cysouw). Linguistic Typology, 7-1, 101-08. (2003).[ PDF]
A dynamic approach to the verification of distributional universals. Linguistic Typology, 4-3, 307-33. (2000).
- [with comments by Matthew Dryer, Revere Perkins and Fritz Schweiger in the same volume]
Stochastic models in typology: obstacle or prerequisite: Author’s response to commentaries. Linguistic Typology, 4-3, 357-64. (2000).
Downloadable presentation materials
- The concept of evolutionary stability in syntax: the case of information structure. (MPI for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, 2006). [ slides (PDF)]
- Distributional universals and the rate of type shifts: towards a dynamic approach to "probability sampling". Lecture given at the 3rd Winter Typological School. (Moscow, 2002) Handout, revised (PDF)
- Stochastic typology and Optimality Theory. Paper presented at Stanford Optimality/Variation/Change Seminar (Stanford, 2001) (Summary (HTML))
- On linguistic interpretation of quantitative cross-linguistic data. Paper presented at the Bay Area Typology Workshop (University of California, Berkeley, 2001). [Slides (PDF)]
- Case marking patterns in diachronic perspective. Paper presented at the conference “Syntax of the world's languages” (Leipzig, 2004; with Tatiana Nikitina).Handout (PDF) (conference website)
- Proto-Language and dynamics of typological distributions. Paper presented at the fourth International Conference on the Evolution of Language (Harvard University, 2002). [ Abstract (TXT) (conference website);
Slides (PDF)]
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