Call for submissions, First Language

[Ginny Mueller Gathercole]

Call for Papers: Special Issue of First Language:

Guest Editor: Virginia C. Mueller Gathercole, University of Wales Bangor

Theme:  Language-specific influences on acquisition and cognition

In recent years there has been a growing interest in the possible
effects of language-specific structural properties on linguistic and
cognitive development.  This special issue will focus on evidence
bearing on the specific ways in which linguistic differences across
languages may affect what is learned early (or late) in language
and/or cognition. Special attention will focus on aspects of
development for which new data from a heretofore unexplored language
is able to address the question of whether or not development follows
a universal course.  Of particular interest in the linguistic realm
will be new data exploring whether or when late linguistic
developments are due to  the cognitive complexity of the concepts
underlying the linguistic patterns, and when they might not be; of
particular interest in the cognitive realm will be areas for which
new cross-linguistic data reveal linguistic influences on the timing
of development of cognitive concepts or on attentional patterns in
young children.

Possible topics might include (but are not restricted to):

- Morphological or syntactic development and how language-specific
differences affect or interact with differences in cognitive patterns
of development.

- How differences in the encoding of a certain domain of concepts
(e.g., space, time, number, and so forth) across languages can
differentially influence both linguistic and cognitive developments.

- Potential interactions between linguistic and cognitive developments.

- Linguistic influences on attention.

-  The theoretical interface between children's non-linguistic
notions and linguistic categorizational or syntactic patterns.

-  Potential effects of linguistic input on conceptual development.

-  Empirical evidence of 'precocious' linguistic developments that
are purported to be too difficult for children to learn.  Especially
relevant would be data addressing claims that children cannot develop
certain linguistic constructs because of cognitive difficulties
associated with those structures.

- Evidence bearing on the theory of linguistic relativity.

Deadline for submissions:  31 August 2003


Submissions and enquiries should be addressed to:  V. C. Mueller
Gathercole, School of Psychology, University of Wales Bangor, Bangor,
Gwynedd LL57 2AS, Wales, U.K.
email:  v.c.gathercole at bangor.ac.uk

--

Virginia C. Mueller Gathercole, Ph.D.
Reader

Ysgol Seicoleg                           	School of Psychology
Prifysgol Cymru, Bangor	                 	University of Wales, Bangor
Adeilad Brigantia 	 			The Brigantia Building
Ffordd Penrallt 				Penrallt Road
Bangor LL57 2AS					Bangor LL57 2AS
Cymru                                    	Wales
                         |      /\
                         |     /  \/\
Tel:  44 (0)1248 382624 |  /\/    \ \
Fax:  44 (0)1248 382599 | /  ======\=\
                         |  B A N G O R
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/info-childes/attachments/20030326/3d7d7d45/attachment.htm>