Language contact and change, Paris, Sept. 2007

[rose at VJF.CNRS.FR]

Call for papers

International workshop on


Language contact and morphosyntactic variation and change 


Paris

September 20th, 21st and 24th, 2007

At the occasion of the 7th conference of the Association for Linguistic
Typology (ALT VII) organized by the Fédération Typologie et Universaux du
CNRS [French National Centre for Scientific Research] a 3 day workshop on
morphosyntactic variation and change in situations of language contact will
be held.

The workshop investigates the mechanisms of linguistic variation and change
in the light of current research on language contact with a focus on
variation and typological change in the area of morphosyntax. It explores
the connections between work on language variation and change, which
traditionally focuses on innovation and reorganization within a single
system, and research in contact linguistics, which deals with linguistic
change resulting from the interaction between different grammatical systems.

The following questions will be at the centre of the discussion:

-	In situations of language contact, do the mechanisms of linguistic
change differ from those that have ‘typically’ been invoked in work on
language evolution?
-	In language contact, is morphosyntactic change always preceded by
variation? Is the period of variation longer or shorter than in cases of
language-internally motivated change?
-	Are the linguistic results and processes of language contact
different from those of internal linguistic change (grammaticalization,
reanalysis
)?
-	How can contact-induced variation and change be differentiated from
language-internally motivated variation and change in settings involving
contact?
-	How do the findings from current contact linguistic research affect
current frameworks and methodological approaches to language-internally
motivated variation and change? Can these two lines of research be
integrated or is it necessary to devise a new model? 

Topics for the plenary talks are as follows:

•	 Sarah Thomason (Michigan) – on internal and external processes of
change in contact situations from a diachronic perspective.
•	 Yaron Matras (Manchester) – on the influence of sociocultural and
typological factors in contact-induced change.
•	 Miriam Meyerhoff (Edinburgh) – comparing syntactic variation and
language change in the variationist framework and in contact linguistics.
•	 Zarina Estrada (Sonora, Mexico) – on contact-induced change
involving closely related languages.

Talks will be 30 minutes long followed by 10 minutes for discussion. 
Submissions are also invited for posters.

Preference will be given to papers dealing with a diachronic and/or dynamic
synchronic perspective presenting:

-	morphosyntactic data showing linguistic variation or change, either
completed or in process, leading, in particular, to typological
reorganization
-	analyses of linguistic processes at work
-	critical discussion of existing theoretical frameworks (language
variation and change, typological change, etc.)
-	proposals for (new) models about the nature of linguistic change in
situations of language contact.

Selected papers and posters from the conference will be published in a
volume dealing with issues of variation and change in situations of contact.


Abstracts should present the data and outline the analysis and the research
questions (500 words followed by a maximum of 5 bibliographical references)
and should be sent as attachments (.doc or .rtf) by December 15th 2006 to:

leglise at vjf.cnrs.fr and claudine at correo.unam.mx

In the body of your message please indicate the name and address of the
author(s), title of the presentation, affiliation and whether you intend to
give a talk or poster.

Abstracts will be reviewed anonymously.

Notification of acceptance: March 5th, 2007.

Workshop languages: French, English, Spanish.

Isabelle Léglise and Claudine Chamoreau
Workshop “Contact et changement linguistique”
UMR CNRS CELIA
BP8
7, rue Guy Moquet
94801 Villejuif
France