37.768, Calls: The Role of Semantics in Syntax (United Kingdom)

[The LINGUIST List]

LINGUIST List: Vol-37-768. Wed Feb 25 2026. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 37.768, Calls: The Role of Semantics in Syntax (United Kingdom)

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Date: 23-Feb-2026
From: Paul Elbourne [paul.elbourne at magd.ox.ac.uk]
Subject: The Role of Semantics in Syntax


Full Title: The Role of Semantics in Syntax

Date: 20-Jun-2026 - 20-Jun-2026
Location: Oxford, United Kingdom

Linguistic Field(s): Semantics; Syntax

Call Deadline: 20-Mar-2026

Call for Papers:
Abstracts are invited for 60-minute talks in a one-day conference ‘The
role of semantics in syntax’, which is to be held at Magdalen College,
Oxford, on 20 June 2026. The aim of the conference is to explore ways
in which the syntax of a sentence might be influenced by its
semantics, in opposition to the traditional Chomskyan conception of
the autonomy of syntax. The conference is inspired by two recent
speculative developments: the revival of the architecture of the
grammar proposed by the Generative Semanticists, which is seen in the
‘Meaning First Approach’ of Uli Sauerland and Artemis Alexiadou; and
the proposal by Paul Elbourne that syntactic categories should be
eliminated from linguistic theory, with their work being done by
semantic categories such as semantic types (‘A program for eliminating
syntactic categories’, Linguistic Inquiry, Online First). But
proposals for talks advocating smaller-scale influence of semantics on
syntax (or presenting arguments against such influence) will also be
welcome.
Free accommodation in Magdalen College will be available for speakers
for the nights of the 19th and 20th of June. Some funds are available
for partial reimbursement of travel expenses for speakers.
Invited Speakers:
 - Gillian Ramchand (Oxford)
 - Uli Sauerland (ZAS).
Submission:
Abstracts should be emailed to the conference organizer, Paul
Elbourne, at paul.elbourne at magd.ox.ac.uk. The deadline is 11:59 p.m.
(GMT) on 20 March 2026. Decisions will be made by the end of March.
Abstracts:
Please use A4 or Letter paper, with one-inch margins and a sensible
font no smaller than 11-point. Abstracts should be anonymous and
should be no longer than two pages, with the exception that
bibliography (and nothing else) may be put on a third page. PDF format
is required.  Submissions are limited to one abstract per author
(whether individual or joint).



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