32.1577, Confs: Ling Theories, Morphology, Socioling, Syntax, Text/Corpus Ling/Online

[The LINGUIST List]

LINGUIST List: Vol-32-1577. Thu May 06 2021. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 32.1577, Confs: Ling Theories, Morphology, Socioling, Syntax, Text/Corpus Ling/Online

Moderator: Malgorzata E. Cavar (linguist at linguistlist.org)
Student Moderator: Jeremy Coburn, Lauren Perkins
Managing Editor: Becca Morris
Team: Helen Aristar-Dry, Everett Green, Sarah Robinson, Nils Hjortnaes, Joshua Sims, Billy Dickson
Jobs: jobs at linguistlist.org | Conferences: callconf at linguistlist.org | Pubs: pubs at linguistlist.org

Homepage: http://linguistlist.org

Please support the LL editors and operation with a donation at:
           https://funddrive.linguistlist.org/donate/

Editor for this issue: Lauren Perkins <lauren at linguistlist.org>
================================================================


Date: Thu, 06 May 2021 14:40:11
From: Ann-Marie Moser [ann-marie.moser at ds.uzh.ch]
Subject: New perspectives on (morpho)syntactic variation in Germanic and Romance varieties: Combining functional-quantitative with formal-theoretical approaches

 
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: Thomas Strobel 
Contact Email: th.strobel at lingua.uni-frankfurt.de 
Meeting URL: https://www.ds.uzh.ch/de/tagungen/workshop-variation.html 

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

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.
 

Program Information: 

The full program is available here:
https://www.ds.uzh.ch/de/tagungen/workshop-variation/programm.html

We welcome all participants to our workshop and look forward to a fruitful
discussion. Please use the form here
(https://www.ds.uzh.ch/de/tagungen/workshop-variation/anmeldung.html) to
register for the workshop. Registration is possible until Wednesday, 26 May
2021. An email with the meeting link will be sent out to all registered
participants before the workshop.

Organizers: Ann-Marie Moser (Zurich), Melanie Röthlisberger (Zurich), Thomas
Strobel (Frankfurt/Main)





------------------------------------------------------------------------------

***************************    LINGUIST List Support    ***************************
 The 2020 Fund Drive is under way! Please visit https://funddrive.linguistlist.org
  to find out how to donate and check how your university, country or discipline
     ranks in the fund drive challenges. Or go directly to the donation site:
                   https://crowdfunding.iu.edu/the-linguist-list

                        Let's make this a short fund drive!
                Please feel free to share the link to our campaign:
                    https://funddrive.linguistlist.org/donate/
 


----------------------------------------------------------
LINGUIST List: Vol-32-1577	
----------------------------------------------------------