Call for Papers: DGfS Workshop on Usage-Based Approaches to Morphology

[Amir Zeldes]

(apologies for cross-postings)

 

DGfS Workshop on Usage-Based Approaches to Morphology

 

35th Annual Meeting of the German Society for Linguistics (DGfS)

Potsdam University, 13-15.3.2013

 

In the past years usage-based models have made substantial contributions to
our understanding of the inner workings of grammar and the mental lexicon,
especially as they apply to syntax and argument structure (e.g. Goldberg
2006). More recently, the same theoretical mechanisms have been applied
specifically to the study of morphology (cf. Booij 2010), shedding new light
on familiar problems and offering unified accounts of seemingly disparate
phenomena which open up new research areas and questions about learnability,
lexicalization, the nature of productive morphology and the structure of the
lexicon. This working group will focus on usage-based accounts of
morphological phenomena, both synchronic and diachronic, using a wide range
of methodologies focusing on empirical evidence such as corpus studies,
psycholinguistic experiments, eye tracking and reading studies,
grammaticality judgment tasks and more. In particular we welcome submissions
on usage-based approaches dealing with, but not limited to:

 

- Usage effects on inflectional paradigms synchronically and diachronically

- Regular and irregular inflection and derivation and their relation to
usage

- First and second language acquisition and learnability of morphology

- Morphological productivity and restrictions in usage, both graded and
categorical

- Constructional analyses of non-concatenative or discontinuous morphology
(e.g. pattern and root in Semitic languages) 

- Valency interactions between morphology and lexical representation

- Schemas for compound formations and interpretation of their semantics

- Interfaces between morphology and syntax, semantics and the lexicon

 

We look forward to diverse papers offering converging evidence from all
languages and disciplines for the role of usage in the emergence of
morphological structure.

 

Invited Speakers:

Prof. Geert E. Booij, Leiden University

Prof. Stefan Th. Gries, UC Santa Barbara

 

Organizing Committee:

Anke Lüdeling, HU Berlin (anke.luedeling at rz.hu-berlin.de) 

Amir Zeldes, HU Berlin ( <mailto:amir.zeldes at rz.hu-berlin.de>
amir.zeldes at rz.hu-berlin.de)

 

Format:

Authors should submit 1 page abstracts (including references) in a 12 point
font (e.g. Times New Roman) electronically to both organizers above.
References should be formatted according to the APA guidelines. Talks will
be given 30 or 60 minute slots including discussion, depending on the
program. Please specify your preferred length in your submission. The
workshop language is English for both abstracts and talks.

 

Important dates:

- Submission of abstracts:                            19.8.2012

- Notification of acceptance:                      30.8.2012

- Workshop:                                                     13-15.3.2013

 

References:

Booij, G. E. 2010. Construction Morphology. Oxford: Oxford University Press.


Goldberg, A. E. 2006. Constructions at Work: The Nature of Generalization in
Language. Oxford: Oxford University Press.