37.1078, Confs: Silent Arguments Workshop (Germany)

[The LINGUIST List]

LINGUIST List: Vol-37-1078. Tue Mar 17 2026. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 37.1078, Confs: Silent Arguments Workshop (Germany)

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Date: 16-Mar-2026
From: George Walkden [george.walkden at uni-konstanz.de]
Subject: Silent Arguments Workshop


Silent Arguments Workshop
Theme: Pro-drop and argument ellipsis in theory, acquisition and
diachrony

Date: 15-Oct-2026 - 16-Oct-2026
Location: Konstanz, Germany
Contact: George Walkden
Contact Email: george.walkden at uni-konstanz.de
Meeting URL:
https://www.sfb1760.uni-konstanz.de/talks-and-events/workshops-and-conferences/pro-drop-across-languages-and-time/

Linguistic Field(s): Historical Linguistics; Language Acquisition;
Syntax; Typology

Submission Deadline: 30-Apr-2026

Nearly half a century has passed since the earliest formulations of
the Null Subject Parameter in generative linguistics. In that time,
much has been discovered about how and when arguments may remain
silent cross-linguistically, but much remains unclear. The aim of this
workshop is to take stock of what has been learned, and to propose new
ideas and new directions for the study of what have variously been
called “null”  or “unexpressed” arguments, “pro-drop”, “argument
ellipsis” and more. We welcome papers dealing with the following
general questions:
 - Syntactic theory: can one mechanism derive all apparently silent
arguments, or do we need more than one (e.g. true pro-drop vs.
argument ellipsis)? What role do interface properties, e.g.
information structure or prosody, play in determining silence?
 - Acquisition: silent elements have been characterized as difficult
for learners, yet a majority of the world's languages allow silent
arguments. Which silent elements are difficult for which learners, and
why?
 - Diachrony: is there a “null argument cycle”? Under what
circumstances are silent arguments gained or lost in language history,
and (how) does this relate to who is acquiring them?
 - Typology: since not all languages allow silent arguments under the
same conditions, what do we need to know about a language in order to
characterize its typological profile as regards silent arguments?
Invited Speakers:
Rajesh Bhatt (UMass)
Antonio Fábregas (NTNU Trondheim)
Anikó Lipták (Leiden)
Nerea Madariaga (University of the Basque Country)
Roland Meyer (HU Berlin)
Maria Polinsky (Maryland)
Hedde Zeijlstra (Göttingen)
This workshop is organised as part of the Collaborative Research
Centre “Silence, Noise and Signal in Language” at the University of
Konstanz, which investigates the role of silence and noise in our
capacity for perceiving, learning and producing linguistic signals
(https://www.sfb1760.uni-konstanz.de/).
Abstracts should be no more than two pages in length, with
2.5-cm/1-inch margins and 12-point text, including figures, examples
and references. They should be submitted as PDF attachments via email
to george.walkden at uni-konstanz.de. Deadline for abstract submission is
30th April 2026.



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