FW: [Fwd: [Arcling] Call for Papers: Current Issues in Areal Typology]

[Johanna Laakso]

Dear All,

forwarded (apologies for cross-postings as usual), an interesting symposium
call.

Best
Johanna
-- 
Univ.-Prof. Dr. Johanna Laakso
Universität Wien € Institut für Europäische und Vergleichende Sprach- und
Literaturwissenschaft (EVSL)
Abteilung für Finno-Ugristik
Universitätscampus AAKH, Spitalg. 2-4 Hof 7, A-1090 Wien
Tel. +43 1 4277 43019 | Fax +43 1 4277 9430
johanna.laakso at univie.ac.at | http://homepage.univie.ac.at/Johanna.Laakso/


Aihe: [Arcling] Call for Papers: Current Issues in Areal Typology
Lähettäjä: Michael Cysouw <cysouw at eva.mpg.de>
Päiväys: Ma, Elokuu 22, 2005 13:04
  Vastaanottaja: linguistics at eva.mpg.de, arcling at anu.edu.au,
HISTLING at LISTSERV.SC.EDU,
         LINGTYP at LISTSERV.LINGUISTLIST.ORG

--------------------------
   Reminder: Call For Papers
   Deadline: 1 September 2005
--------------------------

Current Issues in Areal Typology

Workshop at the 28th annual meeting of the German
Association for Linguistics (DGfS), Bielefeld,
22-24 February 2006

Organised by:
- Michael Cysouw (Max Planck Insitute for Evolutionary Anthropology) -
Balthasar Bickel (University of Leipzig)

homepage: http://email.eva.mpg.de/~cysouw/meetings/dgfs2006.html


Over the past decade it has become increasingly
clear that hardly any typological variable is
evenly distributed over the world; most reveal
systematic areal skewings. For example,
inclusive/exclusive distinctions, or numeral
classifiers, show frequency peaks around the
Pacific; velar nasals are common everywhere
except in the Americas where they are exceedingly
rare; clicks are found in substantial frequency
only Southern Africa, relative pronouns only in
Europe, etc. And often these skewings have
exceptions, which are themselves significant,
e.g. South Asia has mid-to-low degree of
synthesis, but the Munda languages systematically
depart from this trend.

Such typological findings have renewed a strong
interest in areal linguistics, but because they
often involve larger geographical areas than
traditional Sprachbünde, they demand new methods
for testing and explaining areal skewings. With
regard to testing, methods are currently
discussed to distinguish real skewings from
chance, to filter out dependent structural
factors (as when e.g. an area reveals not only OV
but also, as a consequence, postpositions) or to
measure the gradience of areal extent. With
regard to explanation, large-scale areas, and
their exceptions, can often only be understood
against what is known from population history
through genetic, archeological and social
anthropology. And proper understanding requires a
detailed model of language contact and its
effects over (deep) time.

This workshop invites contributions to these
issues of testing and explaining areal skewings
in typological variables. Possible topics
include, but are not limited to:

- Presentation and discussion of particular (large-scale) areal patterns
- Exceptions to areal patterns
- Explanations for areal clusters
- Statistical methods to validate areal distributions
- Methods to display areal information (GIS and the like)
- Relations to other disciplines (Archeology, Genetics, Ethnology, etc.)

Please send your one-page abstract to Michael
Cysouw at the address below, either by email (in
plain text or in PDF format) or as hard copy, to
arrive no later than September 1st, 2005.
Notification of acceptance is by October 1st,
2005.

To keep in sync with the rest of the programm,
the normal time allotted for presentation is 20
minutes plus 10 minutes for discussion. Please
note if you would be interested in a longer
time-slot, when available

Michael Cysouw
Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Deutscher Platz 6
D-04103 Leipzig
Germany

email: cysouw at eva.mpg.de

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