Exploring morphosyntactic variation and change with Distributional Semantic Models

Abstract

This paper surveys how computational distributional semantic models (DSMs) have thus far been employed to study morphosyntactic variation and change in Early Modern English. As a case study, this paper homes in on the development of the Early Modern English auxiliary do. More specifically, we will illustrate how computational DSMs can be used to flag areas of functional-semantic overlap between the class of modal verbs and auxiliary do in a data-driven manner. The paper will be concluded with a summary and critical assessment of how computational DSMs can complement (and be complemented by) other approaches to morphosyntactic variation and change in the early modern period.