[Lingtyp] Call for papers: Linguistic Diversity Meets The Brain: Future directions in the language sciences

[Sebastian Sauppe]

** Linguistic Diversity Meets The Brain: Future directions in the 
language sciences **
Workshop at the Department of Comparative Linguistics, University of 
Zurich, 15th–17th May 2017

http://www.comparativelinguistics.uzh.ch/en/events/linguistic-diversity-meets-the-brain.html

Linguistic typologists and cognitive (neuro-)scientists alike have 
advocated the potential of language processing (encompassing language 
production, comprehension and acquisition) to explain the distribution 
of grammatical structures across time and space. Discussions focus on 
how the diverse grammatical structures of the world’s languages may 
constrain and inform theorizing on language processing and language 
acquisition and on how grammars might adapt to (neurobiological) 
processing constraints.

Unfortunately, and in spite of this glaring coincidence of interests, 
little scientific interaction between these fields has occurred. During 
this three-day workshop at the University of Zurich (May 15–17, 2017), 
we will be working towards overcoming this divide. In six keynote talks, 
leading scholars from linguistics and psycho- and neurolinguistics will 
lay out their view on the interfaces between linguistic diversity and 
processing and how these synergies could be exploited.

The keynote speakers are:
Aylin Küntay (Koç University)
Caleb Everett (University of Miami)
Florian T. Jaeger (University of Rochester)
Nikolaus P. Himmelmann (University of Cologne)
Ina Bornkessel-Schlesewesky (University of South Australia)
Silvia Gennari (University of York)

We invite contributions for 30-minute talks (20 minutes + 10 minutes for 
discussion) on the interface of linguistic typology and processing 
research. Specifically, we invite contributions presenting new evidence 
on (a) whether and how languages’ grammars might adapt to 
(neurobiological) constraints on cognitive processing architectures and 
external pressures or (b) whether and how the different grammatical 
properties of linguistic systems might afford the application of 
different processing and learning strategies.

Example topics are:

* studies examining production, comprehension, or acquisition phenomena 
in one or more language(s) chosen for their typological characteristics
* experimental studies on under-researched languages providing 
implications for existing processing theories
* studies providing (neurobiological) processing explanations of 
language change phenomena
* studies linking processing mechanisms and typological distributions

Abstracts should be submitted online via EasyChair as PDFs 
(https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=ldmtb2017), no later than 10th  
March 2017, and should not exceed 500 words (excluding references and 
figures). The abstracts will be reviewed by the program committee 
(Damian E. Blasi, Sebastian Sauppe, Sabine Stoll, Balthasar Bickel, 
Martin Meyer) and decisions will be communicated before 1st April 2017.

Attendance will be free and child care during the workshop hours will be 
available upon request for a limited number of participants.