Using big data to support meaning hypotheses for some and any
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Nadav Sabar
Abstract
This paper offers an original treatment of the grammatical forms some and any. Rather than seeing them as logical quantifiers, each sign constitutes an expressive device whose invariant meaning fully accounts for its distribution in English texts. A unique methodology that relies on qualitative analyses to produce large-scale quantitative predictions is laid out in detail. First, qualitative analyses of attested examples are shown to feature – alongside some or any – particular other forms that, by hypothesis, contribute to a similar element in the message as contributed by the sign under analysis. Then, quantitative predictions regarding the regularity of these co-occurrences are tested in the Corpus of Contemporary American English. This methodology has led to the discovery of numerous distributional peculiarities that are noted here – and explained – for the first time.
Abstract
This paper offers an original treatment of the grammatical forms some and any. Rather than seeing them as logical quantifiers, each sign constitutes an expressive device whose invariant meaning fully accounts for its distribution in English texts. A unique methodology that relies on qualitative analyses to produce large-scale quantitative predictions is laid out in detail. First, qualitative analyses of attested examples are shown to feature – alongside some or any – particular other forms that, by hypothesis, contribute to a similar element in the message as contributed by the sign under analysis. Then, quantitative predictions regarding the regularity of these co-occurrences are tested in the Corpus of Contemporary American English. This methodology has led to the discovery of numerous distributional peculiarities that are noted here – and explained – for the first time.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Acknowledgements vii
- Introduction 1
- Using big data to support meaning hypotheses for some and any 33
- The object of explanation for linguistics 73
- The relevance of relevance in linguistic analysis 105
- La estabilización del tema discursivo 123
- Aproximación al significado de la forma española QUE dentro de la Escuela de Columbia 161
- El “juego” intraparadigmático 199
- Re-visitando significados 217
- Being polite in Argentina 233
- A comparative study of the restrictive markings of mandarin Jiù , Cái , and Zhǐ 259
- Evolutionary phonology as human behavior 281
- Name Index 301
- Subject Index 305
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Acknowledgements vii
- Introduction 1
- Using big data to support meaning hypotheses for some and any 33
- The object of explanation for linguistics 73
- The relevance of relevance in linguistic analysis 105
- La estabilización del tema discursivo 123
- Aproximación al significado de la forma española QUE dentro de la Escuela de Columbia 161
- El “juego” intraparadigmático 199
- Re-visitando significados 217
- Being polite in Argentina 233
- A comparative study of the restrictive markings of mandarin Jiù , Cái , and Zhǐ 259
- Evolutionary phonology as human behavior 281
- Name Index 301
- Subject Index 305
