29.3808, Calls: Comp Ling, Historical Ling, Psycholing, Syntax, Typology/Switzerland

[The LINGUIST List]

LINGUIST List: Vol-29-3808. Wed Oct 03 2018. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 29.3808, Calls: Comp Ling, Historical Ling, Psycholing, Syntax, Typology/Switzerland

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Date: Wed, 03 Oct 2018 01:48:56
From: Hiram Ring [hiram.ring at uzh.ch]
Subject: Perspectives on Word Order Evolution: Processing, Typology, and Reconstruction

 
Full Title: Perspectives on Word Order Evolution: Processing, Typology, and Reconstruction 

Date: 08-Nov-2018 - 09-Nov-2018
Location: Zurich, Switzerland 
Contact Person: Hiram Ring
Meeting Email: hiram.ring at uzh.ch

Linguistic Field(s): Computational Linguistics; Historical Linguistics; Psycholinguistics; Syntax; Typology 

Call Deadline: 15-Oct-2018 

Meeting Description:

This workshop is hosted by the Department of Comparative Linguistics at the
University of Zurich, and aims to exploit synergies between researchers who
work on word/element order from different angles to advance our understanding
of the factors that lead speakers of languages to adopt various constituent
orders and to retain such orders or evolve away from them, integrating
insights from psycholinguistic processing, typological tendencies, and
historical reconstruction of syntax, along with the use of cutting-edge tools
for investigating linguistic questions related to such research. This event is
intended as a working meeting to explore possibilities, where participants
present ideas and work in progress on word order development and change under
these three broad headings (Processing, Typology, Reconstruction). More
information is included in the call for papers.


Call for Papers:

Abstracts are invited for a 2-day workshop “Perspectives on Word Order
Evolution: Reconstruction, Typology, and Processing” hosted by the Department
of Comparative Linguistics at the University of Zurich, on 8 and 9 November
2018. One of the prime questions of the language sciences is to explain the
driving factors behind linguistic diversity, and one of the most prominent and
apparent ways in which languages differ is in how they order the words in a
sentence. Given these observations, we seek to exploit synergies between
researchers who work on word/element order from different angles to advance
our understanding of the factors that lead speakers of languages to adopt
various constituent orders and to retain such orders or evolve away from them.

The workshop is organised in close collaboration with researchers
reconstructing word order for languages in South-East Asia and beyond, and
with researchers exploring the use of statistical models and language
databases for understanding the pressures that influence the realization of
word order cross-linguistically. We aim to further develop our current theory
of word order evolution and change, integrating insights from psycholinguistic
processing, typological tendencies, and historical reconstruction of syntax,
along with the use of cutting-edge tools for investigating linguistic
questions related to such research. This event is intended as a working
meeting to explore possibilities, where participants present ideas and work in
progress on word order development and change under these three broad headings
(Processing, Typology, Reconstruction), and research conducted in multiple
languages and diverse language families. Confirmed speakers include Julia
Uddén (University of Stockholm), Ted Gibson (MIT), Elisabeth Norcliffe (SOAS),
Balthasar Bickel (University of Zurich), Paul Widmer (University of Zurich),
Paul Sidwell (ANU), and Mathias Jenny (University of Zurich). 

  Some questions of interest are: Are there processing tendencies in the human
brain that constrain the way changes in word order can occur? Can we identify
particular processing constraints on word order across populations and
languages? What do existing patterns of word order in languages of the world
tell us about potential constraints on how word order can develop? Do the
statistical tendencies in word order found across languages reveal general
patterns of human cognition? How can we reconstruct the original word order of
Proto-languages for families with few or no historical sources? Can
reconstruction of word order for families with many historical sources inform
the reconstruction of syntax for those without such sources?

Interested participants should submit a half-page abstract (maximum, excluding
references) of their proposed topic to [ hiram D0T ring ʔæʔ uzh D0T ch ] by 15
October, 2018.




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