A theoretical model of dynamical grammatical gender shifting based on set-valued set function
This work addresses the challenge of modeling complex morphosyntactic variations in linguistics, offering a novel framework that could impact fields requiring precise linguistic pattern modeling, though it appears incremental in its specific domain focus.
The study tackled the problem of understanding grammatical gender shifts in languages by proposing a formal computational model based on set-valued set functions to predict nonlinear dynamic mappings of lexical items onto morphological templates, demonstrating its application in Riffian to explain variant markings during lexical changes.
This study investigates the diverse characteristics of nouns, focusing on both semantic (e.g., countable/uncountable) and morphosyntactic (e.g., masculine/feminine) distinctions. We explore inter-word variations for gender markers in noun morphology. Grammatical gender shift is a widespread phenomenon in languages around the world. The aim is to uncover through a formal model the underlying patterns governing the variation of lexemes. To this end, we propose a new computational component dedicated to pairing items with morphological templates (e.g., the result of a generated item-template pair: (funas, $\{N, +SG, -PL, -M, +F, -COL, +SING\}$), with its spell-out form: $ð$a-funast 'cow'). This process is formally represented by the Template-Based and Modular Cognitive model. This proposed model, defined by a set-valued set function $h : \mathscr{P}(M) \rightarrow \mathscr{P}(M)$, predicts the nonlinear dynamic mapping of lexical items onto morphological templates. By applying this formalism, we present a unified framework for understanding the complexities of morphological markings across languages. Through empirical observations, we demonstrate how these shifts, as well as non-gender shifts, arise during lexical changes, especially in Riffian. Our model posits that these variant markings emerge due to template shifts occurring during word and meaning's formation. By formally demonstrating that conversion is applicable to noun-to-noun derivation, we challenge and broaden the conventional view of word formation. This mathematical model not only contributes to a deeper understanding of morphosyntactic variation but also offers potential applications in other fields requiring precise modelling of linguistic patterns.