32.333, Calls: Ling Theories, Morphology, Syntax, Text/Corpus Ling/Online

[The LINGUIST List]

LINGUIST List: Vol-32-333. Wed Jan 27 2021. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 32.333, Calls: Ling Theories, Morphology, Syntax, Text/Corpus Ling/Online

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Date: Wed, 27 Jan 2021 12:10:27
From: Melanie Röthlisberger [melanie.roethlisberger at uzh.ch]
Subject: New perspectives on (morpho)syntactic variation in Germanic and Romance varieties: Combining functional-quantitative with formal-theoretical approaches

 
Full Title: New perspectives on (morpho)syntactic variation in Germanic and Romance varieties: Combining functional-quantitative with formal-theoretical approaches 

Date: 28-May-2021 - 28-May-2021
Location: Zurich / ONLINE, Switzerland 
Contact Person: Thomas Strobel
Meeting Email: th.strobel at lingua.uni-frankfurt.de

Linguistic Field(s): Linguistic Theories; Morphology; Syntax; Text/Corpus Linguistics 

Call Deadline: 28-Feb-2021 

Meeting Description:

Functional(-quantitative) and formal approaches to language have for a long
time been regarded as complete opposites in linguistic theorizing with neither
of the two approaches considering the other’s perspective in their work (e.g.
Haspelmath 2000); the binary/dichotomic relationship between the two
approaches goes back to the (non-)assumption of a Universal Grammar or rather
an innate faculty of speech. While both approaches essentially assume that
language is a cognitive object, it is not until recently that the view has
emerged that both approaches - functional and formal - are necessary to
account for the full range of variation we can observe in language (see e.g.
contributions in Adli et al. 2015; also Pierrehumbert 2006; and the ERC-Grant
Starfish project which combines sociolinguistics with theoretical linguistics,
cf. Walkden/Breitbarth 2019). These so-called hybrid models of language assume
that both formal (rule-based) approaches as well as functional (usage-based)
approaches are needed to explain the full gradience of variation (see Guy
2014; also Grafmiller et al. 2018). One such model, the variationist
sociolinguistic framework, assumes that variation is governed both by abstract
rules (e.g. the person hierarchy and subject selection, cf. Bresnan et al.
2001) but also allows for subtle variability in these rules that are learned
from one’s exposure to linguistic input. A (more) formalist framework is, by
the way, quite similar in its assumptions of abstract rules and variability in
the output (e.g. narrow syntax and feature selection; the so-called
third-factor principles, cf. Chomsky 2005). Both approaches are similar to
each other in that they try to explain variation in terms of linguistic and
extralinguistic principles. With this, hybrid models follow Bybee (2006: 711)
in that they assume that grammar is the ''cognitive organization of one’s
experience with language'', thus allowing for subtle adaptation of the
abstractions postulated by formal approaches. While such hybrid models have
been proposed for some years now, there is no systematic investigation into
the full range of grammatical phenomena. What is more, a large number of
studies that assume a hybrid approach investigate variation in English (and
varieties thereof) while other Germanic varieties and other languages such as
Romance dialects have remained under the radar. A workshop that brings
together scholars working on both perspectives, 20 years after ''Why can’t we
talk to each other'' (Haspelmath 2000), is thus a timely matter.


Call for Papers: 

Our workshop thus invites linguists who are interested in combining both
formal and functional approaches to understand linguistic variation. More
specifically, we are interested in papers that investigate (morpho)syntactic
variation in (non-standard) Germanic and Romance varieties by combining
different linguistic approaches (e.g. from formal/theoretical, functional,
quantitative, applied linguistics). Contributions should address one or more
of the following questions:

- Do we get different or similar results if we approach a phenomenon from
different theoretical perspectives? 
- Are functional and formal linguistics still two different coins, or are they
more like two sides of a coin? What is “functional-quantitative” and what is
“formal/theoretical”? Is this distinction still up to date or do we need
another terminology?
- Can we explain linguistic variation using both perspectives and what do we
gain from this?

In practice, we invite talks (20 minutes + 10 minutes for discussion) on
(morpho)syntactic variation in Germanic and Romance varieties (e.g. case, word
order, negation, pro-drop etc.) that combine the perspective of
functional-quantitative linguistics and formal-theoretical linguistics. 

Please submit your abstracts (500 words excluding references) by 28 February
2021 via EasyAbs: http://linguistlist.org/easyabs/HybAppr2LangVar.




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LINGUIST List: Vol-32-333	
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