28.2688, Calls: Discourse Analysis, Gen Ling, Socioling, Syntax, Text/Corpus Ling/Germany

Fri Jun 16 15:10:57 UTC 2017

LINGUIST List: Vol-28-2688. Fri Jun 16 2017. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 28.2688, Calls: Discourse Analysis, Gen Ling, Socioling, Syntax, Text/Corpus Ling/Germany

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Date: Fri, 16 Jun 2017 11:10:40
From: Sven Leuckert [sven.leuckert at tu-dresden.de]
Subject: NoCaSynE – International Symposium: New Perspectives on Non-Canonical Syntax in English

Full Title: NoCaSynE – International Symposium: New Perspectives on Non-Canonical Syntax in English 
Short Title: NoCaSynE 

Date: 01-Sep-2017 - 03-Sep-2017
Location: TU Dresden, Saxony, Germany 
Contact Person: Sven Leuckert
Meeting Email: ncsyntax at mailbox.tu-dresden.de

Linguistic Field(s): Discourse Analysis; General Linguistics; Sociolinguistics; Syntax; Text/Corpus Linguistics 

Subject Language(s): English (eng)

Call Deadline: 14-Jul-2017 

Meeting Description:

The term non-canonical syntax is maybe one of the most controversially debated
terms in linguistics. Some understand it to describe syntactic constructions
like negative inversion, article deletion, or subject-verb discord which
deviate from the ‘canon’ of Standard (British or American) English, i.e. the
set of constructions deemed correct or acceptable by prescriptive grammars
(cf. e.g. White-Sustaita 2010) or listed in descriptive grammars like the
Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language by Quirk et al. (1985; cf. e.g.
Rozycki / Johnson 2013). The adjective non-canonical is thus clearly used
synonymously with non-standard, incorrect, defective, or faulty and the
respective constructions are often associated with spoken, informal language
(or the code parlé according to Koch / Oesterreicher 22011). Other linguists
(cf. e.g. Ward / Birner 2004), by contrast, use the term to subsume syntactic
constructions like topicalization, clefting, or extraposition which, while
being part of the accepted standard set of constructions available in formal
and/or informal English, are relatable to a more basic, canonical sentence
structure. These constructions deviate from the simple unmarked SVX pattern or
established combinations of sentence constituents and have the effect of
foregrounding certain elements in the reader/listener’s cognition, while
backgrounding others. The term non-canonical, in this sense, thus inevitably
entails considerations of the influence of these constructions on information
packaging or information structure.

Linguistic research so far has shown that the usage of non-canonical
constructions – according to both of the above understandings of the term
non-canonical – depends critically on a multiplicity of situational as well as
textual factors, such as the point in time, the variety of English, the medium
of language use, the degree of formality, the register, or the text function.
Considering current trends in the development of the English language, we can
predict that research on non-canonical syntactic constructions according to
both definitions will become increasingly relevant in the future. On the one
hand, in modern English the code parlé gains ground even in written and
traditionally formal registers, especially with the rise of modern
communication technologies. Thus, both syntactic constructions deemed
non-standard or faulty by prescriptive grammars and syntactic constructions
facilitating information processing due to a clearer progression from given to
new information might increase in frequency. On the other hand, the continued
contact of the English language with various other languages in the course of
migration and the development of new contact varieties, such as
multiethnolects (especially among youngsters) or pidgins, might have an
influence on language use and the frequency of certain non-canonical syntactic
constructions.

Sources:
Koch, Peter; Wulf Oesterreicher (22011): Gesprochene Sprache in der Romania:
Französisch, Italienisch, Spanisch. Berlin / New York: Walter de Gruyter.
Quirk, Randolph et al. (1985). A Comprehensive Grammar of the English
Language. Harlow: Longman.
Rozycki, William; Neil H. Johnson (2013). “Non-canonical grammar in Best Paper
award winners in engineering.” English for Specific Purposes 32, 157-169.
Ward, Gregory; Betty Birner (2004). “Information Structure and Non-canonical
Syntax.” In: Horn, Laurence; Gregory Ward (Eds.). The Handbook of Pragmatics.
Malden: Blackwell, 153-174.
White-Sustaita, Jessica (2010). “Reconsidering the syntax of non-canonical
negative inversion.” English Language and Linguistics 14/3, 429–455.

Call for Papers:

The symposium on Non-Canonical Syntax in English at Technische Universität
Dresden intends to investigate how studies indebted to either of the two
understandings of the term non-canonical as well as focusing on non-canonical
syntactic constructions in specific forms of English can benefit from each
other. 

We invite submissions approaching non-canonical syntax according to one of the
two above definitions from an empirical or theoretical perspective, such as:

- Synchronic or diachronic studies of non-canonical syntax
- Comparative approaches to non-canonical syntax in English and languages
other than English
- Non-canonical syntax in one or several (native or non-native) varieties of
English
- Non-canonical syntactic constructions in one or several (spoken or written,
formal or informal) registers

The format of presentations will be a 20-minute talk followed by a 10-minute
discussion.

The aim of the symposium is to establish a long-term collaboration between
researchers who have a permanent or major interest in non-canonical syntax. We
aim at enhancing and promoting discussion and exchange on different approaches
to non-canonical syntax. Thus, we explicitly encourage young scholars to
submit work-in-progress reports and intend to concede additional time in the
programme of the symposium to discussion intervals.

300-words abstracts (in English, excluding references, in PDF format) should
include the title of the paper, the name of author(s) and his/her/their
affiliation, postal address, and email address. Abstracts should be sent to
the following address by 14 July 2017 (11:59pm, CEST):

ncsyntax at mailbox.tu-dresden.de

The first 10 people who are accepted as participants will receive a fully paid
stay at the TU Dresden guest house (very close to the venue) for the duration
of the symposium. Furthermore, all participants will receive financial support
for travelling costs (50€ for participants from Germany and 100€ for
participants from other countries).

Organizers:

Prof. Dr. Claudia Lange (TU Dresden, Germany)
Sven Leuckert (TU Dresden, Germany)
Dr. Teresa Pham (Vechta University, Germany)

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