Explanation Seminar

[John Moore]

Dear Colleagues:

The Department of Linguistics at UC San Diego is honored to present a
seminar on The Nature of Explanation in Linguistic Theory.

Please visit our website at http://ling.ucsd.edu/~explanation for a
schedule, abstracts, and other information.  You can also download a
schedule/flier for posting.  Please bring this to the attention of anyone
who might be interested.

Below is a text version of some of the webpage information:


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The Nature of Explanation in Linguistic Theory

December 3-5, 1999

UC San Diego

Robinson Building Complex, Rooms 3201 & 3202


This seminar brings together well-known theoretical linguists for a
discussion of foundational issues in linguistic theory from a variety of
perspectives. Presentations and discussion will focus on the question of
what constitutes an explanation in linguistic theory. 

The seminar is open to the general public and free of charge.  

The seminar is supported by grants from the Humanities Research Institute,
Humanities Center at UCSD, and the Office of the Dean of
Social Sciences at UCSD. 

For further information, please write to explanation at ling.ucsd.edu. 

Schedule

Friday, December 3 

1:45       Opening Remarks and Welcome 
             Marsha Chandler, Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs 
             Paul W. Drake, Dean, Division of Social Sciences 

2:00       On the Notion of Showing Something 
             Gregory Carlson, University of Rochester 

2:30       Generative Grammar and Beyond 
             S.-Y. Kuroda, University of California, San Diego 

3:00       Historical Explanations of Synchronic Binding Theory Facts 
             Edward L. Keenan, University of California, Los Angeles 

3:30       Theory and Analysis in Linguistic Explanation 
             David M. Perlmutter, University of California, San Diego 

4:00       Moderated Discussion 
             Angelika Kratzer, University of Massachusetts, Amherst 

4:30       break 

5:00       Conventionality as the Ultimate Explanation 
             Charles J. Fillmore, University of California, Berkeley 

5:30       The Distribution of English Resultative Phrases: A Matter of
Syntax or Semantics? 
             Beth Levin, Stanford University 

6:00       The Relation between Verb Meanings and Argument Structure 
             Angelika Kratzer, University of Massachusetts, Amherst 

6:30       Moderated Discussion 
             David Dowty, The Ohio State University 

Saturday, December 4 

9:30       Explaining “Exotic” Uses of Pronouns in Edo within a Formal
Generative Theory 
             Mark C. Baker, Rutgers University 

10:00     A Semantic Perspective on Object Incorporation in Chamorro 
             Sandra Chung, University of California, Santa Cruz 

10:30     The Syntax-Discourse Interface and the Explanation of Subject
Pro-drop 
             Ellen F. Prince, University of Pennsylvania 

11:00     Moderated Discussion 
             Gregory Carlson, University of Rochester 

11:30     lunch 

1:00       Neural and Cognitive Explanation in Linguistic Theory 
             George Lakoff, University of California, Berkeley 

1:30       Processing Efficiency in Grammatical Universals: Some Hypotheses
and Issues 
             John A. Hawkins, University of Southern California 

2:00       Explaining Infixation 
             John Haiman, Macalester College 

2:30       Explanation in Cognitive Linguistics and Cognitive Grammar 
             Ronald W. Langacker, University of California, San Diego 

3:00       Moderated Discussion 
             Frederick J. Newmeyer, University of Washington 

3:30       break 

4:00       Linguistic Theory, Explanation, and the Dynamics of Language 
              Peter W. Culicover, The Ohio State University 

4:30        Minimalism and Explanation 
              Robert D. Van Valin, State University of New York, Buffalo 

5:00       Differential Case Marking: Iconicity vs. Economy 
              Judith Aissen, University of California, Santa Cruz 

5:30       Formal Linguistics and Functional Explanation: Bridging the Gap 
              Frederick J. Newmeyer, University of Washington 

6:00       Moderated Discussion 
              John A. Hawkins, University of Southern California 

7:30       Conference Party 


Sunday, December 5 

9:30      Constraints and the Structure of Clauses  
            Jane Grimshaw, Rutgers University 

10:00     Exo-Skeletal vs. Endo-Skeletal Explanations: Syntactic
Projections and the Lexicon 
            Hagit Borer, University of Southern California 

10:30    “Explaining” the English Auxiliary System 
            Ivan Sag, Stanford University 

11:00     The English Verbal System—A Case Study in Chomskyan  Explanation 
             Howard Lasnik, University of Connecticut 

11:30     Moderated Discussion 
             Mark C. Baker, Rutgers University