Lg Atlas: Call for Contributions

[Martin Haspelmath]

World Atlas of Language Structures
Call for Contributors

Bernard Comrie, Matthew Dryer, David Gil and Martin Haspelmath are
editing a World Atlas of Language Structures.  The atlas will show
structural features of languages -- phonological, morphological,
syntactic, semantic and others -- in much the same way as linguistic
data are displayed in dialect atlases.  The atlas will encompass about
100 structural features, each shown on a two-page global map, and
accompanied by a two-page description and discussion of the feature.
Each feature would be mapped for at least 150 languages, preferably 200
or more, with a satisfactory geographical and genetic distribution.
Each feature will
thus constitute a chapter, which is the product of original research by
an individual author or set of coauthors.  In addition to the printed
version of the atlas, a fully searchable CD-ROM version will be
produced.  Further information on the atlas project can be found at
http://wings.buffalo.edu/soc-sci/linguistics/dryer/atlas, and at
http://www.eva.mpg.de/~haspelmt/atlas.html.

At present, we have commitments from authors for about 80 of the 100
chapters.  In this call, we are soliciting contributions for about 20
additional chapters.

Potential authors are encouraged to propose whichever chapters are most
consistent with their research interests, with the following obvious
qualification: that the features to be mapped not overlap significantly
with those to which other authors have already committed themselves.  (A

list of the chapters already proposed is available at the
abovementioned URLs.)   Authors are not expected to engage in any actual

cartography themselves; instead, for each feature, they will submit a
database containing a list of languages and their associated feature
values, which will then be put onto maps by the publishers.

Time Frame:

29 February 2000
Deadline for submission of chapter proposals.  Proposals will be 1-2
pages long, and should contain a brief description of the feature (and
the feature values) to be mapped in the chapter.  Multiple proposals are
acceptable.

1 April 2000
Notification of acceptance or rejection of chapter proposals.

31 December 2000
Deadline for submission of first drafts.  These will consist only of the

database with the languages and associated feature values.

31 December 2001
Deadline for submission of final drafts.  These will consist of the
database plus the two-page text discussion.

Address for submission of proposals:

Martin Haspelmath
Max-Planck-Institut fuer evolutionaere Anthropologie
Inselstr. 22
D-04103 Leipzig, Fax +49-341-9952 119
haspelmath at eva.mpg.de

Further addresses for inquiries:

Bernard Comrie
Max-Planck-Institut fuer evolutionaere Anthropologie
comrie at eva.mpg.de

Matthew Dryer
State University of New York at Buffalo
dryer at acsu.buffalo.edu

David Gil
Max-Planck-Institut fuer evolutionaere Anthropologie
gil at eva.mpg.de