37.2191, Confs: Workshop at DGfS 2027: Pragmatic Functions of Applicative Alternations (Germany)

[The LINGUIST List]

LINGUIST List: Vol-37-2191. Fri Jun 26 2026. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 37.2191, Confs: Workshop at DGfS 2027: Pragmatic Functions of Applicative Alternations (Germany)

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Date: 26-Jun-2026
From: Jens Hopperdietzel [jens.hopperdietzel at uni-koeln.de]
Subject: Workshop at DGfS 2027: Pragmatic Functions of Applicative Alternations


Workshop at DGfS 2027: Pragmatic Functions of Applicative Alternations

Date: 02-Mar-2027 - 05-Mar-2027
Location: Jena, Germany
Meeting URL: https://aaal.uni-koeln.de/dgfs-workshop

Linguistic Field(s): General Linguistics; Morphology; Pragmatics;
Syntax; Typology

Submission Deadline: 20-Aug-2026

This workshop is organized as part of the 49th Annual Conference of
the Linguistic Society of Germany (DGfS 2027).
Workshop Organizers:
András Bárány (University of Edinburgh)
Jens Hopperdietzel (University of Cologne)
Jozina Vander Klok (Simon Fraser University)
Workshop Description:
The interaction between the (morpho)syntactic realization of event
participants and their discourse status is a central topic in
linguistic research. Currently, we have a good understanding of how
alternations in the expression of core arguments influence their
pragmatic status, e.g. backgrounding of oblique/prepositional coding
in passive. For applicatives, which prototypically promote oblique
event participants (e.g. instruments) to core argument functions, the
opposite effect of discourse foregrounding has been described
(Peterson 2007). However, recent cross-linguistic studies reveal that
applicativization does not necessarily coincide with argument
promotion, i.e. oblique/prepositional coding can be maintained (Marten
& Mous 2017), questioning the pragmatic function of applicative
alternations.
This workshop zooms in on the pragmatic effects of such alternation,
taking typological and formal perspectives into account. Selected
contributions may relate to the following specific questions: (i) What
is the pragmatic function of alternations within applicative
constructions (e.g. topic/focus, contrast, etc.) within and across
languages?  (ii) How does the syntactic status of
oblique/prepositional participants interact with other
syntacto-pragmatic processes (e.g. topicalization, question-formation;
cf. Holmberg 2019)? (iii) How productive are such alternations within
and across languages (e.g., do they apply across the board or are
there semantic restrictions)? Taking an inclusive view, closely
related phenomena in languages with uncoded ditransitive alternations
are also welcome, such as differential (indirect) object marking in
Alemannic German, indirect object clitic doubling in Romance or
(case/agreement) alternations.
References:
Holmberg, A., M. Sheehan & J. van der Wal. 2019. Movement from the
double object construction is not fully symmetrical. Linguistic
Inquiry 50(4). 677–722.
Peterson, D. 2007. Applicative constructions. Oxford: Oxford
University Press.
Marten, L. & M. Mous. 2017. Valency and expectation in Bantu
applicatives. Linguistics Vanguard 3(1), 20160078.
Workshop Format:
30-minute talks (20 min. presentation + 10 min. discussion). The
language of the workshop is English. Presenters must register for the
conference. In accordance with DGfS regulations, each presenter is
allowed to present in one workshop at this conference. They may,
however, be listed as co-authors on talks in other workshops.
Submission:
Please submit your anonymous abstract as a pdf-file to
applicatives.network at gmail.com.
Abstracts should not exceed one page, including references (DIN A4,
2.5 cm margins, 12 pt font).
Please include the names and affiliations of all authors in the body
of your submission email.
Deadline for abstract submission: August 20, 2026
Notification of acceptance: no later than September 10, 2026
Further Information:
Workshop website: https://aaal.uni-koeln.de/dgfs-workshop
Conference website: https://www.gw.uni-jena.de/101200/dgfs-2027



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