1. On the origin of Frisian –nis and –ens: selforganisation in grammar by probabilistic learning Arjen Versloot – UvA/Fryske Akademy Eric Hoekstra - Fryske Akademy

2. Versloot & Hoekstra: Selforganisation in grammar Frisian…… Oldenburg

3. Versloot & Hoekstra: Selforganisation in grammar Modern Frisian –(e)nis and -ens begraffenis‘funeral’< begrave ‘to bury’ (verb) byltenis ‘imagery’< byld ‘image’ (noun) [tsjusternis ‘(the) dark’< tsjuster ‘dark’ (adj.)] gruttens ‘size’< grut ‘big’ (adj.) goedens ‘goodness’< goed ‘good’ (adj.)

4. Versloot & Hoekstra: Selforganisation in grammar Questions: did -ens develop from –enisse … and if, how exactly? what induced the split of the different forms with regard to the stem’s word category?

5. Versloot & Hoekstra: Selforganisation in grammar Old Frisian –(e)nisse On adjective stems (c. 15%) dumnisse‘stupidity’< dum ‘stupid’ (adj.) thiusternisse ‘(the) dark’< thiuster ‘dark’ (adj.) On verbs and nouns(?) (c. 85%) lofnisse ‘promise’< lova ‘to promise’ (verb) or:< lof ‘promise’ (noun) findenisse ‘invention’< finda ‘to find’ (verb) (source: Hofmann/Popkema 2008 Altfriesisches Wörterbuch and the morphological database on it by Slofstra)

6. Versloot & Hoekstra: Selforganisation in grammar Middle Frisian (1400-1550) 3 allomorphs: -enisse, -nisse, -ense hoechnisse, hoegenisse ‘memory’ < hogia ‘to remember’ (verb) infyndenisse, infindense ‘invention’< finda ‘to find’ (verb) tijoesternisse ‘the dark’ < thiûster ‘dark’ (adj)

7. Versloot & Hoekstra: Selforganisation in grammar Metric categories Light preceding syllable: 1a)HL = heavy-light (bisyllabic with unstressed second syllable), e.g. tyoester-nesse ‘(the) dark’ 1b)S = short root vowel, e.g. lof-nisse ‘promise’ Heavy preceding syllable: 2a)L = long root vowel, e.g. brûk-enisse ‘(the) use’ 2b)Sc = short root vowel with complex coda, bischerm-enisse ‘protection’

8. Versloot & Hoekstra: Selforganisation in grammar Preferred allomorph -nisse-enisse-ense Light86%13%1% Heavy22%58%20% Probabilistic distribution (more options per lemma) -ense is a specific allomorph of -enisse

9. Versloot & Hoekstra: Selforganisation in grammar -ens and adjectival stems -ense < -enisse = preferred allomorph on heavy stems So: do adjectives have more often heavy stems? (for noun and verbal roots it is c. 50-50%) Early Mod.Fr. derivates in –ens from adj.: c. 75% heavy Early Mod. Frisian adjectives: c. 50% heavy…. Light stems very often bisyllabic (‘HL’)….

10. Versloot & Hoekstra: Selforganisation in grammar Bisyllabic adjectives take –heid rather than –ens…: fûlens ~ *? fûlheid‘dirt,…’ *?aardigens ~ aardichheid‘kindness’ -ens attaches mostly to monosyllabic adjectives (91%) => monosyllabic adj. stems are mostly heavy (88%) => -ens attaches mostly to heavy stems (83%).

11. Versloot & Hoekstra: Selforganisation in grammar The probabilistic learner: 1-nisse-enisse-enseproduction V/N5050050%50%0% Adj614030%70%0% perception89%78%0% 11%22%0% ‘model noise’: -nisse>-enisse7%-enisse > -ense10% -enisse>-nisse10%-ense > -enisse1%

12. Versloot & Hoekstra: Selforganisation in grammar Running the model… probabilistic learner

13. Versloot & Hoekstra: Selforganisation in grammar

15. The model’s predictions and outcome

16. Versloot & Hoekstra: Selforganisation in grammar The model’s predictions and outcome: V/N

17. Versloot & Hoekstra: Selforganisation in grammar Conclusions (I) Given the assumption that language users felt a semantic contrast between derivates from adjectives and derivates from nouns and verbs; Applying the frequency figures for the different components as found in the mediaeval sources; Assuming that language users can be considered probabilistic learners; Using the bidirectional table as model for such behaviour

18. Versloot & Hoekstra: Selforganisation in grammar Conclusions (II) It is predicted that -ens becomes completely dominant in derivations from adjectives; There will be an ongoing co-occurrence of -enis(se) and -nis(se) for derivates from nouns and verbs with a slight increase of the application of -nisse.

19. Versloot & Hoekstra: Selforganisation in grammar Tank foar jo omtinken! Arjen Versloot UvA/Fryske Akademy: aversloot@fryske-akademy.nl http://www.fryske-akademy.nl/Members/arjen/arjen-p-versloot Eric Hoekstra Fryske Akademy ehoekstra@fryske-akademy.nl Frisian Language Database: www.fryske-akademy.nl/tdb