6.1592, Confs: Discourse Functions & Representation, Lang & Cognition

The Linguist List linguist at tam2000.tamu.edu
Fri Nov 10 23:04:19 UTC 1995


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LINGUIST List:  Vol-6-1592. Fri Nov 10 1995. ISSN: 1068-4875. Lines:  166
 
Subject: 6.1592, Confs: Discourse Functions & Representation, Lang & Cognition
 
Moderators: Anthony Rodrigues Aristar: Texas A&M U. <aristar at tam2000.tamu.edu>
            Helen Dry: Eastern Michigan U. <hdry at emunix.emich.edu>
 
Associate Editor:  Ljuba Veselinova <lveselin at emunix.emich.edu>
Assistant Editors: Ron Reck <rreck at emunix.emich.edu>
                   Ann Dizdar <dizdar at tam2000.tamu.edu>
                   Annemarie Valdez <avaldez at emunix.emich.edu>
 
Software development: John H. Remmers <remmers at emunix.emich.edu>
 
Editor for this issue: lveselin at emunix.emich.edu (Ljuba Veselinova)
 
                               REMINDER
 
[Moderators' note:  we'd appreciate your limiting conference announcements
to 150 lines, so that we can post more than 1 per issue.  Please consider
omitting information useful only to attendees, such as information on
housing, transportation, or rooms and times of sessions.  Thank you for
your cooperation.]
 
---------------------------------Directory-----------------------------------
1)
Date:  Fri, 10 Nov 1995 14:07:13 +0100
From:  bateman at darmstadt.gmd.de ("Dr. John Bateman")
Subject:   First announcement: workshop on Discourse Functions and Representati
on
 
2)
Date:  10 Nov 1995 16:47:00
From:  P.A.Rowlett at mod-lang.salford.ac.uk
Subject:  Announcement: One-day workshop: Language & Cognition
 
---------------------------------Messages------------------------------------
1)
Date:  Fri, 10 Nov 1995 14:07:13 +0100
From:  bateman at darmstadt.gmd.de ("Dr. John Bateman")
Subject:   First announcement: workshop on Discourse Functions and Representati
on
 
 
First announcement of the workshop:
 
 
              LOCAL AND GLOBAL PHENOMENA IN DISCOURSE:
                      THE `DANDELION' APPROACH
              ----------------------------------------
                       15th-16th December 1995
 
 
  IPSI - Integrated Publication and Information Systems Institute
  GMD  - German National Research Center for Information Technology
 
                    Dolivostr. 15, DARMSTADT, GERMANY
               ---------------------------------------
 
The ESPRIT Basic   Research Action DANDELION (Discourse Functions  and
Discourse Representations: An Empirically and Linguistically Motivated
Interdisciplinarily-Oriented  Approach to Natural Language Texts) will
be holding  its final project workshop and  review to mark the  end of
the project.
 
DANDELION has developed theories of a number of phenomena in discourse
including   coherence  relations, information  structuring,   thematic
development,  causal  and  contrastive   connectives, aspect  and text
structure, and  discourse functions of NP  types.  In parallel, it has
produced and   enhanced computational resources for  the investigation
and development of discourse theories.
 
Presentations at the workshop will reflect the project's diversity and
its attempts  to  find  syntheses of  current   theoretical positions.
Computational resources will be demonstrated.
 
For further information and for registering  interest in attending the
workshop,      please    contact:    either  Ute    Kischel   (e-mail:
kischel at darmstadt.gmd.de,        tel.:      +49/6151-869-811;    fax.:
+49/6151-869-818)  or Klaas  Jan Rondhuis (rondhuis at darmstadt.gmd.de).
Accomodation will  be  in  local   hotels  near to the   institute  in
Darmstadt and should be organized by participants  directly. A list of
available hotels,   their  locations, and   prices will  be   faxed on
request.
 
The detailed program for the workshop will be circulated in the next
couple of weeks.
 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2)
Date:  10 Nov 1995 16:47:00
From:  P.A.Rowlett at mod-lang.salford.ac.uk
Subject:  Announcement: One-day workshop: Language & Cognition
 
                         ANNOUNCEMENT
 
             European Studies Research Institute,
         University of Salford, Greater Manchester, UK
 
            One-day Workshop: Language & Cognition
           Friday 12 January 1996, 10.00am - 4.00pm
 
Speakers: Philip Carr (Newcastle-upon-Tyne)
          Ronnie Cann (Edinburgh)
          Jacques Durand (Salford)
          Bernadette Plunkett (York)
          Bonnie Schwartz (Durham)
          Richard Towell (Salford)
 
Organisers: Jacques Durand and Paul Rowlett
 
Venue: Monnet Suite, Research & Graduate College, University of
Salford, Salford, Greater Manchester.
 
Much familiar work in generative grammar assumes that the aim of
linguistics is to `ascertain the nature of the biological endowment
that constitutes the "language faculty", the innate component of the
mind/brain that yields knowledge of language when presented with
linguistic experience, that converts experience to a system of
knowledge' (Chomsky, Knowledge of Language, 1986: xxvi).  However, in
the day-to-day work of the linguist, it is easy to lose sight of this
goal and to get involved in technical complexities.  The aim of this
workshop is to allow for a wide-ranging discussion of the "cognitive"
implications of current work in generative grammar.  Among the areas
to be considered are:
 
What is the status of the standard assumptions and distinctions of
Chomskyan generative grammar (e.g., competence vs.  performance,
I-language vs. E-language, innateness, poverty of the stimulus,
universalism, modularity of the mind)?  Are they all part and parcel
of the generative enterprise?  Could some of these assumptions be
dropped?  Do they need clarification?
 
What light is thrown by work on the acquisition of L1 or L2 on
linguistic theory as a whole and on the problem of psychological
reality?
 
How does current work in the various components of linguistic
description (phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, pragmatics)
throw light on issues such as the modularity of the mind or the status
of mental representations?  For instance, what are the implications of
Optimality Theory for our conception of the psychological organisation
of language?
 
How can one validate the claim of "psychological reality" made in much
linguistic theorising or is the claim merely a kind of "petitio
principi"?
 
How does work within the generative paradigm relate to other work
going on under the banner of the cognitive sciences (e.g.,
connectionism)?
 
It is intended that the workshop will give speakers and participants
an opportunity to discuss these and related issues in an informal
atmosphere.
 
Pre-registration is not required, but we would be grateful if
participants would let us know that they plan to attend.
 
For further details, contact Paul Rowlett:
P.A.Rowlett at mod-lang.salford.ac.uk
Tel: 0161 745 5990
Fax: 0161 745 5335
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