functional phonology at GLOW

[Martin Haspelmath]

I wanted to ask if others share my impression that research in
mainstream phonology is getting more and more functionally oriented. Is
phonology again one step ahead of the dominant paradigm in syntax?

Consider the following description of a GLOW ("Generative Linguistics in
the Old World") workshop on phonology, to be held next week at the
University of Potsdam:

"The workshop is broadly concerned with the relevance of articulatory
and perceptual facts for phonological theory. More specifically, it
intends to focus on such questions as the extent to which functional
factors determine phonological grammars, the status of the distinction
between phonological representation and phonetic implementation, the
issue of multiple (articulation-based as well as perception-based)
phonological representations, and the universality and 'groundedness' of
phonological constraints."

More on the workshop (including the abstracts of papers) can be found at

www.ling.uni-potsdam.de/ik/phon.html

Since I am not a phonologist, I find it difficult to judge whether we
are really witnessing a gradual paradigm shift here. And if so, why
should phonology be so different from syntax?

Martin Haspelmath

--
Martin Haspelmath (haspelmath at eva.mpg.de)
Max-Planck-Institut fuer evolutionaere Anthropologie, Inselstr. 22
D-04103 Leipzig (Tel. (MPI) +49-341-9952 307, (priv.) +49-341-980 1616)