Morphological complexity and unsupervised learning: validating Russian inflectional classes using high frequency data

TY - CHAP

T1 - Morphological complexity and unsupervised learning

T2 - validating Russian inflectional classes using high frequency data

AU - Brown, Dunstan Patrick

AU - Evans, Roger

PY - 2012

Y1 - 2012

N2 - This paper addresses the question of whether it is possible to use machine learning techniques on linguistic data to validate linguistic theory. We determine how readily inflectional classes recognized by linguists can be inferred by an unsupervised learning method when it is presented with the paradigms of a small number (80) of high frequency Russian noun lexemes.We interpret this as a measure of the validity of the linguistic theory. Inflectional classes are of particular interest, because they constitute a kind of autonomous morphological complexity which has no direct relationship to other levels of linguistic description, and hence there is no other objective way of assessing a theoretical characterisation of them. Using the samemethod, we also examine the status of principal parts and defaults in inflectional classes, and the relationship between inflectional classes and stress in Russian nominal morphology. Our experiments suggest that this is an effective and interesting technique for shedding additional light on theoretical claims.

AB - This paper addresses the question of whether it is possible to use machine learning techniques on linguistic data to validate linguistic theory. We determine how readily inflectional classes recognized by linguists can be inferred by an unsupervised learning method when it is presented with the paradigms of a small number (80) of high frequency Russian noun lexemes.We interpret this as a measure of the validity of the linguistic theory. Inflectional classes are of particular interest, because they constitute a kind of autonomous morphological complexity which has no direct relationship to other levels of linguistic description, and hence there is no other objective way of assessing a theoretical characterisation of them. Using the samemethod, we also examine the status of principal parts and defaults in inflectional classes, and the relationship between inflectional classes and stress in Russian nominal morphology. Our experiments suggest that this is an effective and interesting technique for shedding additional light on theoretical claims.

M3 - Chapter (peer-reviewed)

SN - 978-90-272-4840-4

T3 - Current Issues in Linguistic Theory

SP - 135

EP - 162

BT - Current Issues in Morphological Theory: (Ir)regularity, analogy and frequency

A2 - Kiefer, Ferenc

A2 - Ladányi, Mária

A2 - Siptár, Péter

PB - John Benjamins Publishing Company

CY - Amsterdam/Philadelphia

ER -