[HPSG-L] Call for Papers: Special Issue on Constructional Approaches in Formal Grammar

[Nurit Melnik]

*Call for Papers: Special Issue on Constructional Approaches in Formal
Grammar*
Following a successful workshop on Constructional Approaches in Formal
Grammar
<https://www.uantwerpen.be/en/conferences/construction-grammars/scientific-program/workshops/formal-grammar/>
at the 11th International Conference on Construction Grammar (ICCG11) we
invite both workshop presenters and other researchers to submit their
recent, unpublished work on the topic to a special issue of the Journal of
Language Modelling <https://jlm.ipipan.waw.pl/index.php/JLM>.

*MOTIVATION*
Construction Grammar is based on a holistic view of language. Its main
analytical concepts are: a surface-oriented description; the simultaneous
presence of form-, meaning- and, sometimes, usage-properties of utterances;
non-locality or extended locality of linguistic units; the organization of
linguistic knowledge in a hierarchical network (such as a type hierarchy);
the rejection of the strict distinction between lexicon and syntax and the
assumption of a syntax–lexicon continuum.
Analyses within the framework of Construction Grammar range from highly
formalized and computationally implemented ones to approaches which reject
formalization. The formal vs. non-formal debate extends well beyond the
domain of Construction Grammar, and is often accompanied by other
dichotomies: functionalist vs. formalist, usage based vs. competence based,
holistic vs. analytic, theory-driven vs. data-driven, nativism vs.
constructivism, or the acceptance vs. rejection of a core-periphery
distinction. The dichotomies that figure in the formal vs. non-formal
debate are to a large degree orthogonal to the question of whether a formal
account is possible, desirable, and maybe even insightful.
The goal of this special issue is to discuss the potentials and limitations
of construction-based formal analyses and the issues which formal
approaches raise.
The Journal of Language Modelling is a free (for readers and authors alike)
open-access peer-reviewed journal. All articles are peer-reviewed by at
least 3 reviewers, usually including at least one member of the Editorial
Board.

*TOPICS OF INTEREST*
Research questions relevant to the volume topics include but are not
limited to:

   - Which defining properties of a construction grammar can be found in
   other frameworks and which boundaries are encoded there? (such as the
   simultaneous presence of form and meaning, non-locality or extended
   locality of constructions, hierarchical network of constructions, surface
   orientation)
   - Which constructional phenomena defy a rigid formalization?
   - What criteria are there to decide what phenomena count as part of
   grammar and what is dependent on general cognitive principles?
   - Formal models of language aim at making predictions, i.e. at
   identifying impossible/ungrammatical units in addition to describing
   well-formed ones. Can/should this be made compatible with a description of
   language that takes usage data, linguistic creativity, and perceived
   oddness of unusual/non-entrenched patterns into account?


*SUBMISSIONS*
The submissions should be journal papers, not proceedings papers, totalling
25-50 pages, excluding references.
Authors are advised to use the online manuscript submission for the
journal. Make sure to select the special issue when asked to provide the
article type. More information, including formatting instructions for
authors can be found on the journal's webpage at:
https://jlm.ipipan.waw.pl/index.php/JLM/about/submissions.

*IMPORTANT DATES*
Call for papers issued: 28/3/2022
Submissions due: 30/9/2022
Author notification: Early 2023

*GUEST EDITORS*
Nurit Melnik (The Open University of Israel)
Manfred Sailer (Goethe-University Frankfurt/Main)