Joan Bybee

Mechanisms of change and frequency effects across levels

Abstract. Mechanisms of change are not special processes that take place only when change is in progress, rather they are they the result of normal processing activities that operate as language is used. Because they are activities that implement change only with repetition, they interact with degrees of frequency of use. Some mechanisms operate earlier on high frequency units while others operate earlier on low frequency units. The interaction of processing activities with repetition across many usage events is what gives language its structure. In this talk I will distinguish the Reducing Effect of frequency as evidenced in phonetic reduction, semantic habituation and the resulting loss of compositionality and analyzability from the Conserving Effect of frequency, as evidenced in the resistance of morphological and syntactic structures to analogical change, and the loss of analyzability through growing autonomy.