[Lingtyp] CfP Workshop on Diachronic dynamics and Typology of Similarity and Identity Avoidance

[Laura Dees]

Dear colleagues,

We would like to share with you the call for papers for our workshop called "Diachronic Dynamics and Typology of Similarity and Identity Avoidance".

Best regards,

Laura Dees, on behalf of Erika Just, Catalina Torres, Thomas Huber
University of Zurich, Department of Comparative Language Science

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Call for papers: Diachronic Dynamics and Typology of Similarity and Identity Avoidance.
September 12/13 2024, Poznań, as part of the 21st International Congress of Linguists (ICL).

Languages often exhibit the avoidance of identity, or of similarity to some extent. Similarity and identity avoidance (SIA) can affect units on various linguistic levels, from phonetics  to semantics.
Different mechanisms have been proposed to be at the heart of SIA: the motor control system has been held accountable for the dispreference of adjacent identical syllables. Haplology has been explained as a strategy for maintaining isomorphism between syllables and morphemes, for ease of processing. Lexical similarity avoidance, on the other hand, has been associated with working memory and accessibility. However, others see SIA through the lens of communicative efficiency, and explain it by the idea that similarity/identity on all levels can interfere with production and perception.
Previous research has primarily focused on certain languages and families, often within specific linguistic theories. Consequently, there are claims about universal tendencies underlying this phenomenon, which makes it worthwhile to explore it in a broader linguistic context. Besides, the diachronic dimension is often missing. This workshop aims to discuss patterns and strategies employed by languages to avoid or resolve similarity and identity, in order to get to a better understanding of its causes. It intends to bring together perspectives from different subfields, ranging from typology to diachrony and cognition.

We invite abstracts for oral presentations focusing on the following topics:

Diachrony: How do languages employ strategies to avoid or resolve identity or similarity in diachrony? How does similarity avoidance relate to assimilation phenomena?

Phonetic Patterns: How do the phonetic properties of sounds, such as place and manner of articulation, influence SIA in adjacent elements within speech? What acoustic and auditory cues are involved in phonetic processes that facilitate or hinder SIA?

Cross-Linguistic Variation: Do languages show variable sensitivity to different kinds of similarity? Are there preferences in the positions where avoidance or resolution occurs, and do these preferences vary across structural levels?

Unit Size: Do languages exhibit restrictions on the size of linguistic units affected by similarity avoidance? For instance, is the occurrence of dissimilation strategies related to the  syllable count within larger units like feet or verbs?

Mechanisms and biases: What cognitive and motor planning factors contribute to this phenomenon on different linguistic levels? Is there more systematic and cognition-based evidence that identity avoidance improves efficiency?

Experimental Approaches: What kind of experimental evidence or approach is helpful investigating SIA? Can we experimentally demonstrate a preference against similarity or identity in language structures?

The deadline for abstract submission will be 8 January 2024 (12.00 PM CET). For a more detailed call and information on where and how to submit, please refer to the conference website: https://icl2024poznan.pl/?id=2.


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