Comparative Grammar workshop

[R. Rankin]

> Delaying the workshop
> until we have some time to make careful plans 
> (including assigning an
> editor for the book and having that person explore 
> publication
> possibilities -- currently I like working with 
> Benjamins the best) is a
> wise move.

Yes, I wouldn't be able to have anything prepared until 
Spring at the very least.  Most of my time will need to 
be devoted to my Kaw grammar.  While some energetic 
soul may wish to undertake editing duties for an 
on-paper publisher, we might also want to consider 
publishing the whole thing electronically, either as a 
CD/DVD or on the web.  That way if someone experiences 
a problem with deadlines, it won't hold everyone else 
up.  It also simplifies preparing copy.  "Photo-ready 
copy" in the publisher's sense would be out the window 
as would various publishers' nonsensical (cost-cutting) 
ways of handling references, etc.  Just agree on a font 
and margins and you're in business.  No waiting for 
years for availability either.

> For what it's worth, I don't like piggy-backed 
> conferences.
> It's hard for me, personally, to justify being away 
> from home more than
> 3-4 days total, including travel time, and I find I 
> don't do very well at
> either meeting if I'm trying to do two together.

I agree it would be a bit of an imposition to try to 
come up with two or more distinct papers for 
piggybacked meetings.  But we could simply have the 
comparative workshop BE the next Siouan Conference. 
Individuals who don't wish to participate in the 
workshop topics could do their own papers in one or 
more sessions.

As for comparative topics, let's wait and see what an 
inventory of possibilities looks like and then try to 
get people who have written on particular areas to 
attack that particular topic.  It is not out of the 
question for more than one person to work on a topic 
nor is it excluded that one person undertake more than 
a single topic.  I'd like to keep things as flexible as 
possible and hear from lots of other linguists.

Bob