2nd call DGfS workshop 'Learnability Meets Acquisition'

[Tamas Biro]

Dear Colleagues,

This is the 2nd call for papers for 'Learning Meets Acquisition', a
workshop ("Arbeitsgruppe") at the 31st yearly meeting of the DGfS in
Osnabrück, Germany (March 4-6, 2009). Abstract submission deadline is August 
20. Please feel free to circulate the call.

Please notice the webpage http://www.birot.hu/events/lma/, which is a new piece 
of information relative to the first call of papers.

Sorry for eventual cross-posting.

Diana Apoussidou and Tamas Biro


   - - - - - - -

Call for papers for the DGfS 2009 in Osnabrück, Germany (2nd call):



 	AG Learning meets Acquisition:

 	The learnability of linguistic frameworks
 	from formal and cognitive perspectives



New webpage: http://www.birot.hu/events/lma/



The workshop brings together researchers working on the learnability
of linguistic models from a formal point of view, with those working
on the models’ cognitive adequacy.

In general, studies on the learnability of language account for how
grammar and lexicon of a language can be learnt, and by what means.
To give an example, considerate progress has been made recently in
connectionist-based frameworks such as Optimality Theory (Prince &
Smolensky 1993) and Harmonic Grammar (Legendre et al. 1990). Most
learnability models within OT deal with the learning of the grammar:
learning of constraint hierarchies, and learning of constraints
themselves. In most of these approaches, lexical information is
already given. Other OT approaches tackle the learning of parts of
the lexicon. Differences between approaches include whether lexicon
and grammar are learnt in turns (offline) or in parallel (online), or
whether the OT grammar to be learnt is traditional or stochastic.
Current approaches to learnability within HG include learning
constraint weights, by using learning algorithms such as the
perceptron algorithm. Yet, formal results have been only seldom
tested against empirical data from language acquisition research.

The workshop will not only capture the State-of-the-Art in current
approaches to learnability, but also point out future developments in
this field, especially those pertaining to cognitive adequacy.
Questions to be addressed in the workshop include:



-       What are appropriate computational models of the
formalizations and why?

-       What is the cognitive and psycholinguistic plausibility of
these models?

-       How does the research on formal models of learnability relate
to (psycholinguistic) research on language acquisition? Is there a
“missing link”?

-       How can the learnability of interfaces (e.g., syntax-
phonology, semantics-phonology) be formalized?

-       How can learnability account for diachronic aspects of language?



We invite anybody working within any well-established contemporary
linguistic framework (including phonology, syntax or semantics, let
it be GB, the Minimalist Program, OT, LFG or HPSG among many others),
and who tackles its learnability from a theoretical, formal or
cognitive perspective. Especially invited are contributions that
contrast the learnability of a framework with empirical data (from
language acquisition, language change or psycholinguistic experiments).



Abstract submission guidelines:

-       Abstracts should be submitted for 30-minute slots (including
discussion).

-       1 page (TimesNewRoman, 12pt, single-spaced, A4 margins),
including references and figures etc.

-       Pdf format preferably.

-       Abstracts should contain the title of the talk, but not the
authors.

-       Abstracts should be submitted via e-mail as attachment. The
names and affiliations of the authors along with the title of the
abstract should be included in the body of the e-mail.



Send abstracts to lma dot dgfs at gmail dot com, with “abstract
submission” somewhere in the subject line.



Important dates:

Abstract submission deadline: August 20, 2008.

Notification of acceptance: September 15, 2008.

Conference dates: March 4-6, 2009.



The workshop organizers:

Diana Apoussidou, University of Amsterdam/University of Massachusetts
Amherst (d dot apoussidou at uva dot nl)

Tamas Biró, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen (birot at nytud dot hu,
  t.s.biro at rug dot nl)
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