Memory-based Learning Models of Inflectional Morphology: a Methodological Case Study

The paper investigates the memory-based learning (MBL) paradigm as a model of productive linguistic behavior in the domain of Dutch noun plural inflection. We first sketch the origin and background of the MBL approach, to then provide a short overview of Dutch noun plural inflection along with a detailed description of the use of MBL models for inflectional morphology. Results of a large number of MBL simulations on three related tasks of noun plural inflection are analyzed in considerable detail. In particular, we discuss the differential effects of varying core parameter configurations of the MBL algorithm, issues of representation of source exemplars, and different definitions of inflection as a classification task. Finally, we consider these results in relation to current practices in the optimization of model parameters and in the analysis and evaluation of simulation results.