Projects
The Status and Functions of the Ancient Greek particle δή in the Dialogues of Plato, with an Analysis of its Translation into Dutch and Polish KU Leuven
This dissertation is divided into two main sections: a theoretical and an analytical one. The corresponding chapters of the theoretical part are focused on (1) the early approach to Greek particles: the definition and the classification of particles in Ancient Greek linguistic thought and (2) the discourse-pragmatic approach to Greek particles. The analytical part consists of corpus research, and analyses (3) the function and uses of the ...
How extension works: Determinants of the extension of grammatical and lexical items in English and Dutch. KU Leuven
Extension is the process whereby a linguistic item spreads to new lexical or grammatical environments. This research plan lays out a model of extension, explaining why an item can extend to a given environment at a given time. It formulates three interrelated hypotheses on the starting point, course and end point of extension. The hypotheses are tested on four corpus−based case studies covering different domains of grammar. The focus is on ...
Aristotle’s view of language as a dynamic system: the interplay between structural and pragmatic functions KU Leuven
This project aims to demonstrate that through the synergetic interaction between the various structural levels and through the contribution of the context of language use to linguistic meaning language for Aristotle is a dynamic system. In shifting the focus from sign-internal properties (which have been the central object of discussion for centuries) to language as a dynamic system in Aristotle’s linguistic thought, the present study will ...
Sociolinguistic gatekeeping with indexical variation: a quantitative-qualitative investigation of the endexical value of Standard and Colloquial Belgian Dutch variation in 'elderspeak' in Flemish nursing homes KU Leuven
In many Western societies, elders (>65 years) are gradually becoming a larger demographic (OECD Data, 2016), yet at the same time, a complaint frequently heard among the older generations is that people no longer respect their elders. This complaint is supported by a linguistic phenomenon studied in Sociolinguistics known as ‘elderspeak’ (Kemper, 1994). Elderspeak refers to a cluster of linguistic features utilized by younger adults to ...
Modeling causes of language change and conservatism Ghent University
Universally, human language changes over time. One fundamental assumption about language change is that it originates at the level of an individual as a shift in frequencies with which a particular variant of linguistic expression is chosen over another.
Conceiving of language change as the loss of an equilibrium in a system of stochastically used grammatical options, a change presupposes an emerging disturbing factor or a cause. A ...What can language variation tell us about insubordination? A comparative analysis of independent complement clauses in geographical and stylistic varieties of Spanish. University of Antwerp
Preverbal indefinite subjects in spoken and written French KU Leuven
1. Background and status quaestionis
Informal (mostly spoken) (henceforth IF) and formal (typically written) French (henceforth FF) are quite different. Some authors even speak of a diglossic situation and argue in favor of the co-existence of two different grammars in French (e.g. Klein 2012; Rowlett 2013). This opposition between IF and FF is particularly evident with the expression of the subject of the clause. Whereas in FF all ...