LINGUIST List 10.1750

Wed Nov 17 1999

Confs: Explanation in Linguistic Theory

Editor for this issue: James Yuells <jameslinguistlist.org>

Directory

1. Maria Polinsky, Explanation in Linguistic Theory

Dear Colleagues:

The Department of Linguistics at UC San Diego is honored to present a
seminar on The Nature of Explanation in Linguistic Theory.

Please visit our website at http://ling.ucsd.edu/~explanation for a
schedule, abstracts, and other information. You can also download a
schedule/flier for posting. Please bring this to the attention of anyone
who might be interested.

Below is a text version of some of the webpage information:


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The Nature of Explanation in Linguistic Theory

December 3-5, 1999

UC San Diego

Robinson Building Complex, Rooms 3201 & 3202


This seminar brings together well-known theoretical linguists for a
discussion of foundational issues in linguistic theory from a variety of
perspectives. Presentations and discussion will focus on the question of
what constitutes an explanation in linguistic theory. 

The seminar is open to the general public and free of charge. 

The seminar is supported by grants from the Humanities Research Institute,
Humanities Center at UCSD, and the Office of the Dean of
Social Sciences at UCSD. 

For further information, please write to explanationling.ucsd.edu. 

Schedule

Friday, December 3 

1:45 Opening Remarks and Welcome 
 Marsha Chandler, Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs 
 Paul W. Drake, Dean, Division of Social Sciences 

2:00 On the Notion of Showing Something 
 Gregory Carlson, University of Rochester 

2:30 Generative Grammar and Beyond 
 S.-Y. Kuroda, University of California, San Diego 

3:00 Historical Explanations of Synchronic Binding Theory Facts 
 Edward L. Keenan, University of California, Los Angeles 

3:30 Theory and Analysis in Linguistic Explanation 
 David M. Perlmutter, University of California, San Diego 

4:00 Moderated Discussion 
 Angelika Kratzer, University of Massachusetts, Amherst 

4:30 break 

5:00 Conventionality as the Ultimate Explanation 
 Charles J. Fillmore, University of California, Berkeley 

5:30 The Distribution of English Resultative Phrases: A Matter of
Syntax or Semantics? 
 Beth Levin, Stanford University 

6:00 The Relation between Verb Meanings and Argument Structure 
 Angelika Kratzer, University of Massachusetts, Amherst 

6:30 Moderated Discussion 
 David Dowty, The Ohio State University 

Saturday, December 4 

9:30 Explaining "Exotic" Uses of Pronouns in Edo within a Formal
Generative Theory 
 Mark C. Baker, Rutgers University 

10:00 A Semantic Perspective on Object Incorporation in Chamorro 
 Sandra Chung, University of California, Santa Cruz 

10:30 The Syntax-Discourse Interface and the Explanation of Subject
Pro-drop 
 Ellen F. Prince, University of Pennsylvania 

11:00 Moderated Discussion 
 Gregory Carlson, University of Rochester 

11:30 lunch 

1:00 Neural and Cognitive Explanation in Linguistic Theory 
 George Lakoff, University of California, Berkeley 

1:30 Processing Efficiency in Grammatical Universals: Some Hypotheses
and Issues 
 John A. Hawkins, University of Southern California 

2:00 Explaining Infixation 
 John Haiman, Macalester College 

2:30 Explanation in Cognitive Linguistics and Cognitive Grammar 
 Ronald W. Langacker, University of California, San Diego 

3:00 Moderated Discussion 
 Frederick J. Newmeyer, University of Washington 

3:30 break 

4:00 Linguistic Theory, Explanation, and the Dynamics of Language 
 Peter W. Culicover, The Ohio State University 

4:30 Minimalism and Explanation 
 Robert D. Van Valin, State University of New York, Buffalo 

5:00 Differential Case Marking: Iconicity vs. Economy 
 Judith Aissen, University of California, Santa Cruz 

5:30 Formal Linguistics and Functional Explanation: Bridging the Gap 
 Frederick J. Newmeyer, University of Washington 

6:00 Moderated Discussion 
 John A. Hawkins, University of Southern California 

7:30 Conference Party 


Sunday, December 5 

9:30 Constraints and the Structure of Clauses 
 Jane Grimshaw, Rutgers University 

10:00 Exo-Skeletal vs. Endo-Skeletal Explanations: Syntactic
Projections and the Lexicon 
 Hagit Borer, University of Southern California 

10:30 "Explaining" the English Auxiliary System 
 Ivan Sag, Stanford University 

11:00 The English Verbal System--A Case Study in Chomskyan Explanation 
 Howard Lasnik, University of Connecticut 

11:30 Moderated Discussion 
 Mark C. Baker, Rutgers University