On the origin of Frisian –nis and –ens: selforganisation in grammar by probabilistic learning

1. On the origin of Frisian –nis and –ens: selforganisation in grammar by probabilistic learning Arjen Versloot – UvA/Fryske Akademy Eric Hoekstra - Fryske Akademy

2. Versloot & Hoekstra: Selforganisation in grammar Frisian…… Oldenburg

3. Versloot & Hoekstra: Selforganisation in grammar Modern Frisian –(e)nis and -ens • begraffenis‘funeral’ < begrave ‘to bury’ (verb) • byltenis ‘imagery’ < byld ‘image’ (noun) • [tsjusternis ‘(the) dark’ < tsjuster ‘dark’ (adj.)] • gruttens ‘size’ < grut ‘big’ (adj.) • goedens ‘goodness’ < goed ‘good’ (adj.)

4. Versloot & Hoekstra: Selforganisation in grammar Questions: • did -ens develop from –enisse • … and if, how exactly? • what induced the split of the different forms with regard to the stem’s word category?

5. Versloot & Hoekstra: Selforganisation in grammar Middle Frisian (1400-1550) 3 allomorphs: -enisse, -nisse, -ense • hoechnisse, hoegenisse‘memory’ < hogia ‘to remember’ (verb) • infyndenisse, infindense‘invention’< finda ‘to find’ (verb) • tijoesternisse ‘the dark’ < thiûster ‘dark’ (adj)

6. Versloot & Hoekstra: Selforganisation in grammar Metric categories Light preceding syllable: 1a) HL = heavy-light (bisyllabic with unstressed second syllable), e.g. tyoester-nesse ‘(the) dark’ 1b) S = short root vowel, e.g. lof-nisse ‘promise’ Heavy preceding syllable: 2a) L = long root vowel, e.g. brûk-enisse ‘(the) use’ 2b) Sc = short root vowel with complex coda, bischerm-enisse ‘protection’

7. Versloot & Hoekstra: Selforganisation in grammar Preferred allomorph Probabilistic distribution (more options per lemma) -ense is a specific allomorph of -enisse

8. Versloot & Hoekstra: Selforganisation in grammar -ens and adjectival stems -ense < -enisse = preferred allomorph on heavy stems So: do adjectives have more often heavy stems? (for noun and verbal roots it is c. 50-50%) Early Mod.Fr. derivates in –ens from adj.: c. 75% heavy Early Mod. Frisian adjectives: c. 50% heavy…. Light stems very often bisyllabic (‘HL’)….

9. Versloot & Hoekstra: Selforganisation in grammar Bisyllabic adjectives take –heid rather than –ens…: fûlens ~ *? fûlheid‘dirt,…’ *?aardigens ~ aardichheid‘kindness’ -ensattaches mostly to monosyllabic adjectives (91%) => monosyllabic adj. stems are mostly heavy (88%) => -ensattaches mostly to heavy stems (83%).

10. Versloot & Hoekstra: Selforganisation in grammar Running the model…probabilistic learner

11. Versloot & Hoekstra: Selforganisation in grammar

12. Versloot & Hoekstra: Selforganisation in grammar

13. Versloot & Hoekstra: Selforganisation in grammar The model’s predictions and outcome: V/N

14. Versloot & Hoekstra: Selforganisation in grammar Conclusions (I) • Given the assumption that language users felt a semantic contrast between derivates from adjectives and derivates from nouns and verbs; • Applying the frequency figures for the different components as found in the mediaeval sources; • Assuming that language users can be considered probabilistic learners; • Using the bidirectional table as model for such behaviour

15. Versloot & Hoekstra: Selforganisation in grammar Conclusions (II) • It is predicted that -ens becomes completely dominant in derivations from adjectives; • There will be an ongoing co-occurrence of -enis(se) and -nis(se) for derivates from nouns and verbs with a slight increase of the application of -nisse.

16. Versloot & Hoekstra: Selforganisation in grammar Tank foar jo omtinken! Arjen Versloot UvA/Fryske Akademy: aversloot@fryske-akademy.nl http://www.fryske-akademy.nl/Members/arjen/arjen-p-versloot Eric Hoekstra Fryske Akademy ehoekstra@fryske-akademy.nl Frisian Language Database: www.fryske-akademy.nl/tdb