ICHL workshop

[Ans van Kemenade]

Abstracts are invited for a workshop to be held with the
XIII International Conference on Historical Linguistics,
Duessel-dorf 10-17 August 1997, titled:
 
Functional categories and morphosyntactic change
 
Convener: Ans van Kemenade (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam)
 
Speakers confirmed: Ian Roberts (Stuttgart)
                    Nigel Vincent (Manchester)
 
Abstracts are invited for 40-minute papers (including
discussion), which address issues concerning the role
of functional categories in morphosyntactic change. The
term 'functional categories' may be taken in a theory-
neutral sense (changes in the way categories like tense,
mood, aspect, case, number, gender etc. are expressed),
or in the sense in which it is used in current models
of generative syntax, where morphological categories
are taken to project a functional projection according
to phrase structure format. Suggestions for problem
areas include the following:
 
    The role of functional categories in the grammati-
    calization process. Grammaticalization very often
    involves the reanalysis of a lexical category into
    a functional category, e.g. from verb to complement-
    izer. Papers might address the nature of and motiva-
    tion for such reanalysis (semantically vs. syntacti-
    cally driven).
 
    Changes in case systems: issues that might be addres-
    sed include the functional (non)equivalence of case
    and prepositions as evidenced when morphological case
    systems are lost; the relation between syntactic and
    morphological case; the interplay between changes in
    case and categories like aspect, and the grammatical
    analysis thereof; the implications of regarding case
    as a functional projection in the generative sense
    for the analysis of changes in case.
 
    The role of functional categories in word order change:
    in generative approaches to word order change functional
    projections play a key role in word order change. Case
    studies in this area are welcomed. Since functional
    projections are assumed to express morphological catego
    ries, a close correlation between morphology and word
    order is predicted. To what extent is this empirically
    justified?
 
Send two copies of a one-page abstract, NO LATER THAN
1 February 1997, to:
 
Dr. Ans van Kemenade
Vrije Universiteit, Vakgroep Taalkunde/Engels
De Boelelaan 1105
1081 HV Amsterdam
Netherlands
 
Snailmail is much preferred, but abstracts sent by e-mail or
fax will not be rejected:
e-mail: kemenade at let.vu.nl
fax: #31(0)204446500 (state name of convener)