HISTORICAL LINGUISTICS LING 2038

LECTURER C.Y.C.FLYNN

Analogical Change
By Damon Leung
Email: xyyyxx@hkusua.hku.hk
ID: 2002210506
Definition

What is analogy?

Almost everything that was not sound change or

borrowing was analogy

Analogy is a process whereby one form of a

language becomes more like another with which it is
somehow associated (Arlotto, 1972)

Analogical change involves a relation of similarity

(Anttila, 1989)

Analogy can be considered as internal borrowing

Examples

Types of analogical changes

1) Proportional Analogy, leveling,
extension

2) Non-proportional analogy, such as
back information, blending
Proportional Analogy
A formula to be memorized
-- A/C = X/W

-- Verbs: Look/Looked = X (Watch) /Watched

-- Nouns: Active/Activity = X (Passive)/Passivity
-- Plural: Book/Books = X (Hand) /Hands

*Proportional Analogy the formula above

Proportional Analogy

Analogical leveling reduces the number of
allomorphs a form has and it makes paradigms more
uniform. In analogical leveling, forms which
formerly underwent alternations no longer do so
after the change.

Examples:
Throw/Threw/Thrown  Throw/Throwed/Throwed
Learn/Learned/Learnt  Learn/Learned/Learned

Examples:
 Bear/Bore/Borne
Bear/Bare/Born
 Break/Broke/Broken
Break/Brake/Broke
Proportional Analogy
Examples of comparative form:
High/Higher/Highest  Cheap/Cheaper/Cheapest
Rich/Richer/Richest  Thick/Thicker/Thickest

What about near?

Before 16th century, nigh/near/next
Since 16th century, near/nearer/nearest

What about late?

 Late/Later/Latest
Late/Latter/Last
Proportional Analogy
Objectives:
- To find out the current situation of analogy among students.
- To find out if the students will guess the words that they are
not familiar with by analogy.

Methodology:
- There are two sets of questionnaires (Set A and Set B)
distributed to 32 informants in total.
- Set A and Set B share the same answers but Set As questions
are a little bit different from Set B.
- The difference is marked with a pair of blankets.
- There are 16 questions of each questionnaire.

Informants:
- 32 secondary students
- 16 males and 16 females in total and each set of questionnaire
has 8 males and 8 females
Proportional Analogy
Requirement:
- The informants can only choose no more than one
option.
- The process takes no more than 5 minutes.
- No equipments, like dictionary, can be used.

Limitation:
- Not enough informants to make the result reflect the
current situation.
- The questions of Set B have no effects to the
informants if they have encountered the words.
- The uneven English proficiency among the
informants would affect the result.
Proportional Analogy SHOWN IN SET B ONLY!
Question (2):
Find out the best comparative form of the word good, [just like
high/higher/highest.]
Set A Set B
A. Good/Gooder/Goodest Male A 0% A 0%
B. Good/Better/Bettest B 0% B 0%
C. Good/Better/Best
C 100% C 100%
D. Good/Very good/Most good
D 0% D 0%
Female A 0% A 0%
B 0% B 0%
C 100% C 100%
D 0% D 0%

- The words marked with a pair of blankets will only be shown in set B.
- The answer marked with a star is the expected wrong answer made by the informants.
- The option marked with an arrow is the correct answer.
Proportional Analogy
Question (4):
Find out the best comparative form of the word sad, [just like
good/better/best.]

A-- Sad/Unhappy/Worried
Set A Set B
B-- Sad/Sader/Sadest Male A 0% A 12.5%
C-- Sad/Sadder/Saddest B 0% B 0%
D-- Sad/Sadly/Sadden

C 100% C 50%
D 0% D 37.5%
Female A 0% A 0%
B 0% B 0%
C 100% C 87.5%
D 0% D 12.5%
Proportional Analogy
Question (7):
Find out the past/past participle form of the verb seek, [just like
look/looked/looked.]

A- Seek/Seeked/Seeked

B- Seek/Sought/Sought Set A Set B
C- Seek/Seeked/Sought
D- Seek/Seek/Seek Male A 25% A 75%
B 50% B 25%
C 0% C 0%
D 25% D 0%
Fem A 25% A 50%
ale B 75% B 50%
C 0% C 0%
D 0% D 0%
Proportional Analogy
Question (9):
Find out the correct past/past participle form of the verb choose, [e.g.
become/became/become.]

A Choose/Choosed/Chosen
Set A Set B
B Choose/Chose/Chosen
C Choose/Chosen/Chosen Male A 0% A 0%
D Choose/Chose/Choose B 87.5% B 50%


C 12.5% C 25%
D 0% D 25%
Female A 0% A 12.5%
B 100% B 50%
C 0% C 12.5%
D 0% D 25%
Proportional Analogy
Question (11):
Find out the correct plural form from the following options, e.g.
book/books.
A Criteria/Criterias

Set A Set B
B Mouse/Mouses
C Sheep/Sheeps

Male A 0% A 0%
D Medium/Media B 0% B 0%
C 50% C 75%
D 50% D 25%
Female A 0% A 0%
B 12.5% B 0%
C 12.5% C 25%
D 75% D 75%
Proportional Analogy

The result of the questionnaire:

Set A Set B
Male 85.9%(110/128) 78.1%(100/128)

Female 91.4%(117/128) 82%(105/128)

Average 88.6%(227/256) 80%(205/256)

Proportional Analogy
Implications of the questionnaire:
- The informants can answer very well for the questions about
some frequently-used verbs/plural form/comparative form, E.G.
good/better/best.

- The informants find difficulties in answering some non-

frequently-used verbs form, E.G. seek/sought/sought.

- The result of questionnaire Set B is not satisfactory, compared

with that of Set A because of the fact that the informants guess
the words wrongly by looking at the misleading questions, E.G.
using a strong verb pattern for answer a weak verb pattern.

- The result shows the real situation of how language chances

and those are some common grammatical mistakes made by
students.
Analogical Change
Conclusion:

Sound change, borrowing and analogical change are

equally important.

E.g. by using analogy we can create the forms of
some borrowed words, like
kowtow/kowtowed/kowtowed

There is also a close relationship between sound
change and analogical change, like
break/brake/broke  break/broke/broken

-- End --