[EDLING:1588] CFP: Workshop on Presupposition Accommodation

Fri May 19 14:21:57 UTC 2006

via the Linguist List . . .

Full Title: Workshop on Presupposition Accommodation

Date: 13-Oct-2006 - 15-Oct-2006
Location: Columbus, OH, USA
Contact Person: Laura Stoia
Meeting Email: < click here to access email >
Web Site: http://pragmatics.osu.edu

Linguistic Field(s): Pragmatics

Call Deadline: 31-Jul-2006

Meeting Description:

The Ohio State University Pragmatics Initiative is hosting a workshop on 
presupposition accommodation from October 13-15, 2006, with participants 
from computer science, philosophy, and psychology, as well as linguistic 
semantics and pragmatics. In addition to commissioned papers and 
comments, there will be a poster session on Saturday, October 14th.

There will also be a free one-week intensive course on presupposition 
and accommodation prior to the workshop for graduate students and 
postdocs; pre-registration is required.

Call for Participation

Workshop on Presupposition Accommodation: Poster Session
Intensive Short Course on Presupposition and Accommodation

At: The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio USA
Course dates: October 8 - 13, 2006
Workshop dates: October 13 - 15, 2006

Deadline for Poster submissions: Submit an abstract by July 31, 2006.
Acceptance will be notified by August 21, 2006.

Course Registration: Register by June 15 to be considered for travel 
fellowships.
Registration forms available at: http://www.pragmatics.osu.edu

Workshop

Presupposition accommodation is at the intersection of central issues in 
semantics, pragmatics, psycholinguistics, artificial intelligence and 
philosophy of language. When an utterance presupposes information which 
the addressee doesn't already know (e.g. ''I'm on my way to my 
daughter's graduation'' presupposes that the speaker has a daughter), 
the addressee may sometimes cooperatively accommodate that information, 
behaving as though he already knew it to be true, and go on to respond 
to the assertion (''Congratulations!''). Accommodation has broad 
implications for the theory of linguistic interpretation because it 
involves many of the same processes and constraints as in the 
recognition of contextual effects generally. In addition to its 
ramifications for theories of meaning in linguistics and for 
philosophical discussions of the nature of meaning, presupposition 
accommodation bears on psycholinguistic theories of human linguistic 
competence, illustrating the interaction between linguistic and 
non-linguistic (general cognitive) processes. And an appreciation of how 
it functions is important for the creation of software that aims to 
systematically interpret or produce language in context.

With support from the Ohio State University Colleges of the Arts and 
Humanities and the National Science Foundation, we are offering a 
workshop on presupposition accommodation, with invited participants from 
across several fields in cognitive science.

Invited participants:
Barbara Abbott, Michigan State University, Linguistics
Dorit Abusch, Cornell University, Linguistics
David Beaver, Stanford University, Linguistics
Anne Bezuidenhuit, University of South Carolina, Philosophy
Gregory Carlson, University of Rochester, Linguistics
Joshua Dever, University of Texas at Austin, Philosophy
Kai Von Fintel, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Linguistics
Lyn Frazier, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Psycholinguistics
Bart Geurts, University of Nijmegen, Philosophy
Anthony Gillies, University of Michigan, Philosophy
Jerry Hobbs, University of Southern California, Computer Science
Laurence R. Horn, Yale University, Linguistics
Staffan Larsson, Gothenburg University, Linguistics
Mats Rooth, Cornell University, Linguistics
Tony Sanford, Glasgow University, Psychology
Mandy Simons, Carnegie Mellon University, Philosophy
Matthew Stone, Rutgers University, Computer Science
Zoltán Szabò, Cornell University, Philosophy
Michael Tanenhaus, University of Rochester, Psychology
Rich Thomason, University of Michigan, Philosophy and Computer Science
Gregory Ward, Northwestern University, Linguistics
Henk Zeevat, University of Amsterdam, Linguistics

Poster Session

We invite submissions for a poster session on the second day of the 
workshop, Saturday, October 14, 2006. Posters are welcome on any topics 
relevant for presupposition accommodation, including (but not limited 
to) theoretical and applied work on:
-    the nature of presupposition and of particular presupposition
triggers,
-    the role of abductive reasoning in calculating intended meaning
-    the character of pragmatic repair.

Work on computational models, both interpretation and generation, and on 
human acquisition and processing are particularly solicited.

The abstract should be no more than 500 words (not including figures and 
references) and should include a header which provides contact 
information for the primary contact author. Send this information to the 
organizers, at prag-conf(a)ling.ohio-state.edu (replacing (a) in the 
email address with the 'at' sign).

Deadline for abstract submissions: Midnight (US) EST, July 31, 2006.
Acceptance will be notified by August 21, 2006.
Poster session date: October 14, 2006.

Intensive Short Course on Presupposition and Accommodation:

As an introduction to the material discussed in the Workshop on 
Presupposition Accommodation, the OSU Pragmatics Initiative is offering 
a one-week intensive course for graduate students and postdoctoral 
researchers who wish to improve their understanding of the topic of 
presupposition accommodation. The course is intended to prepare students 
to maximally benefit from attendance at the interdisciplinary Workshop 
on Presupposition Accommodation, and to contribute to scholarship in 
this field.

The course will provide students with the opportunity to explore 
presupposition and accommodation in each of the five academic fields 
represented at the workshop. Discussions and assigned readings will 
cover both foundational material and current developments, including 
papers commissioned for the workshop. The course will take place October 
8 - 13.

Please see the course website for a list of instructors.

How to Register for Course:

Thanks to support from our sponsors, there is no charge to attend the 
course. Due to space restrictions, however, participation will be 
limited. Priority will be given to students with adequate background in 
a related field. To enroll for the course, complete the registration 
form that is downloadable from the Workshop website at 
http://www.pragmatics.osu.edu.

All students in the short course are expected to attend the Workshop on 
Presupposition Accommodation, taking place immediately after the course 
on October 13,14 and 15.

Travel Grants for Course:

The National Science Foundation has funded a number of travel 
fellowships for students and postdoctoral fellows who wish to attend the 
course. Fellowship students will be reimbursed for their transportation 
and housing expenses incurred to attend the course and workshop. 
Fellowship students are expected to attend the course for the entire 
week and also the Workshop on Presupposition Accommodation. Application 
materials for travel grants are included in the registration packet 
available on the website.

Important Dates for Short Course:

June 15, 2006: Registration forms from applicants requesting travel
fellowships must be received by June 15 to receive full
consideration.

July 15, 2006: Notification of acceptance and fellowship status
will be sent to applicants

Sept. 1, 2006: Late registration for the course only
(without travel assistance) will be accepted
through September 1, 2006, subject to space
availability.

Organizers:

* Craige Roberts, OSU Dept. of Linguistics
* Donna Byron, OSU Dept. of Computer Science and Engineering
* Scott Schwenter, OSU Dept. of Spanish and Portuguese

Sponsors:

The course is made possible through the support of the
following organizations:

* The National Science Foundation of the U.S.A.
* The OSU Department of Computer Science and Engineering
* The OSU Department of Linguistics
* The OSU Department of Spanish and Portuguese
* The OSU Federated Colleges of the Arts and Sciences

More information:

For additional information, please go to http://www.pragmatics.osu.edu 
or contact the organizers at prag-conf(a)ling.ohio-state.edu, by 
replacing (a) in the email address with the 'at' sign.