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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">Call for papers: <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns
= "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">‘Dialects as a Testing Ground for Theories of
Change’<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">1-day session at Methods in Dialectology
XIII<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns =
"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City
w:st="on"><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">Leeds</SPAN></st1:City><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">, <st1:country-region
w:st="on">UK</st1:country-region></SPAN></st1:place><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">, 04-Aug-2008 - 08-Aug-2008<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">Submission deadline: December, 1<SUP>st</SUP>,
2007 (Notification of acceptance will be sent by January 20th,
2008)<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">CALL FOR PAPERS<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">In recent years, historical linguists have
highlighted the importance of grammatical variation and variant spread for our
understanding of the fundamental mechanisms of linguistic change. Many
approaches distinguish between the emergence of novel variants vs. the selection
of variants in the course of speakers' use (cf., e.g., Weinreich, Labov &
Herzog's 1968 distinction between the 'actuation' and 'transition problem').
This is most obvious in evolutionary inspired approaches. But the perhaps most
central ingredient of a model for linguistic change is still relatively little
understood, and therefore controversial: Which factors are responsible for
variant selection and spread? For instance, Croft (2000) assumes
language-internal factors to be relevant only for the emergence of novel
variants, but variant selection is claimed to be guided exclusively by social,
extra-linguistic factors. Others (Haspelmath 1999, Seiler 2005, De Vogelaer
2006) have claimed that language-internal factors play a role in variant
selection, too. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">It is our opinion that the study of dialect
variation has the potential to play a central role in the process of finding
answers to such fundamental questions (see Kortmann 2002, Horvath 2004, and
Filppula et al. 2005:vii for similar observations). There are several reasons
for this: First, dialects are relatively free of standardization and therefore
more tolerant against variant competition in grammar. Second, variants gradually
spread not only on the temporal, but also on the spatial dimension. By a careful
study of subtle dialect differences in space we therefore might expect to
uncover the minimal differences of implementational steps that have taken place
in the course of linguistic history. Furthermore, we think it is the right time
for dialectologists to engage in debates on variation and change since there are
several large research projects on dialect variation being conducted in a number
of European countries (cf. the recently launched website
http://www.dialectsyntax.org/). The following provides a (non-exhaustive) list
of suggested research questions: <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">– Which is the contribution of current
linguistic theory for the explanation of spatial variation and variant spread?
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">– Which is the contribution of dialect data for
the further development of theories of linguistic change? <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">– What are the driving forces of variant
selection? Are these factors social or linguistic? <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">– Is variation the result or the cause of
change, or both?<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">In particular, we encourage papers adopting a
dialect geographical approach. Additional questions that emerge when taking a
dialect geographical approach have to do with the existence of transitional
zones, where competing variants co-occur. This poses a potential problem for
many models of grammar: what does the existence of transitional zones mean for
our modeling of linguistic competence, i.e., can the linguistic competence of
individuals living in transitional zones best be described in terms of competing
grammars, the interaction of categorical rules or constraints, or do we need a
probabilistic model? Other relevant questions include the following:
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">- Do geolinguistic data provide evidence for
and/or against particular models of change? <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">- What can we conclude from the mechanisms of
variant spread with regard to our understanding of linguistic competence?
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">- Can we find a speaker-based explanation for
the fact that some variants spread at the expense of others?
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=DE
style="mso-ansi-language: DE">Organizers <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=DE
style="mso-ansi-language: DE">Gunther De Vogelaer (FWO Flanders / Ghent), Guido
Seiler (Konstanz / Zurich). <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=DE
style="mso-ansi-language: DE"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">Keynote speaker<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">William Labov (<st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:PlaceType w:st="on">University</st1:PlaceType> of <st1:PlaceName
w:st="on">Pennsylvania</st1:PlaceName></st1:place>)<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">Practical information:<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">The workshop is part of the Methods in
Dialectology-conference. More information concerning travelling, lodging etc.
can be found on the Methods XIII-homepage:<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN class=p-match1><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><A href="http://www.leeds.ac.uk/english/methods.htm"
target=_blank><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">http://www.leeds.ac.uk/english/methods.htm</SPAN></A></SPAN></SPAN><SPAN
class=p-match1><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt">Publication </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">Since it is our intention to publish a volume
with papers from the section, we will prefer unpublished research over papers
presenting data that have been published elsewhere. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt">Format </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">Presentations are allotted 20 minutes plus 10
minutes for discussion. Abstracts should be as specific as possible, with a
statement of topic, approach and conclusions, and may be at most 400 words (not
including data and references, which may be placed on an optional second page).
Please submit your abstract anonymously as an email attachment (only Microsoft
Word or PDF formats) to Gunther De Vogelaer (gunther.devogelaer@ugent.be) or
Guido Seiler (gseiler@ds.unizh.ch). The body text of the email message must
contain the following information: <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">(1) paper title <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">(2) name(s) of author(s) <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">(3) affiliation(s) of author(s)
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">(4) address where notification of acceptance
should be sent <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">(5) phone number for each author
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB
style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">(6) email address for each author
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt">(7) subfield (syntax, phonology,
etc.) </P></DIV></BODY></HTML>