【專題演講】
講題：Emergence of linguistic structure from a complex system perspective
講者：黃宣範 名譽教授（台灣大學語言學研究所）
時間：2016年4月18日(一)14:00-16:00
地點：中正大學文學院144國際會議廳
Abstract:
In this talk I focus on the concept of emergence,
and on linguistic structure emerging from discourse.
Structureis not immanent in a language, but emerges
through repetition of favored word groupings in
discourse. Language is a phenomenon that exhibits
apparent structure and regularity of patterning while
at the same time showing considerable variation at all
levels. Since a speaker’s linguistic knowledge is
grounded in language use. In this usage-based approach
to grammar, grammar is seen as a dynamic system that
emerges from frequently occurring patterns in language
use. Thus a theory of language should focus on the
processes that create languages and give them both their
structure and their variance.
Emergence is an ongoing process of structuration, and
thus emergent structures are unstable and are manifested
stochastically. Mental representations are sensitive and
constantly adapting and responding to discourse and to
usage. It follows that accounts of grammatical structure
must take note of how language use and frequency effects
affect linguistic structure and mental representation.
Examples from aspects of Chinese grammar will be used to
illustrate the emergence of linguistic structure.