Analogical Change
Change in which forms are reshaped on the model of other forms, typically reducing irregularity, as a counterweight to the disruptive effects of sound change.
Definition
Analogical change is a change in which words or grammatical forms are reshaped to conform to the pattern of other words or forms, frequently reducing the irregularity produced by prior sound change.
Scope
This topic covers analogy as a mechanism of change: analogical leveling (eliminating alternations within a paradigm), analogical extension (spreading a pattern to new forms), proportional analogy, and back-formation and folk etymology. It examines how analogy interacts with sound change, often repairing the irregularities sound change creates, and the attempts to formulate tendencies governing it.
Core questions
- What are the main types of analogical change?
- How does analogy interact with, and counteract, sound change?
- What is the difference between analogical leveling and analogical extension?
- Are there regular tendencies governing the direction of analogy?
- How are back-formation and folk etymology related to analogy?
Key theories
- Kurylowicz's laws of analogy
- Kurylowicz proposed a set of tendencies describing the typical direction of analogical change, such as the favoring of more clearly marked forms, in an attempt to make analogy more predictable.
- Analogy as repair of sound-change irregularity
- Because regular sound change can split a paradigm into irregular alternants, analogy often acts to restore regularity by leveling alternations or extending a productive pattern.
History
Analogy was recognized by the Neogrammarians as the principal explanation for exceptions to regular sound change. In the twentieth century, Kurylowicz and Manczak attempted to formulate general tendencies or laws governing its operation, though analogy remains less predictable than sound change.
Debates
- Predictability of analogy
- Whether analogical change follows formulable laws (as Kurylowicz proposed) or is inherently less regular and predictable than sound change remains debated.
Key figures
- Jerzy Kurylowicz
- Hermann Paul
- Hans Henrich Hock
Related topics
Seminal works
- campbell2013
- kurylowicz1947
Frequently asked questions
- What is analogical leveling?
- Analogical leveling is the elimination of irregular alternations within a paradigm by extending one form's stem to the others, as when irregular verb forms are regularized over time.
- How can analogy reverse the effects of sound change?
- Sound change may create irregular alternations within related words, and analogy can then restore uniformity by remodeling the irregular forms on a regular pattern, effectively undoing the surface irregularity.