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hf.ntnu.no>The University of Plovdiv is pleased to announce the 3rd CONFERENCE on FORMAL APPROACHES to SOUTH SLAVIC and BALKAN LANGUAGES, Plovdiv, September 24 - 26, 1999 Conference Organizing Committee: Iordan Penchev (Institute for Bulgarian Language, Sofia) Iliyana Krapova (University of Plovdiv) Mila Dimitrova-Vulchanova (NTNU, Trondheim) Lars Hellan (NTNU, Trondheim) Ivan Kasabov (New Bulgarian University) Yovka Tisheva (Sofia University) Invited speakers: Zeljko Boskovic, University of Connecticut Carmen Dobrovie Sorin, Universit Paris 7 Steven Franks, Indiana University Zlatka Guentcheva, Universit Paris 7 Maria Polinsky, University of California at San Diego Henk van Riemsdijk, Tilburg University Henk Verkuyl, Utrecht University The conference will be hosted by the Linguistics and Slavic Languages Department at the University of Plovdiv. Papers are invited for a 20 minute presentation plus 10 minute discussion on issues in the field of syntax, morphology, phonology and semantics of South Slavic and Balkan languages, as well as on topics in comparative South Slavic and Balkan linguistics within any formal framework. Please send two copies of a one-page abstract to one of the following addresses by post or email: Mila Dimitrova-Vulchanova, Department of English, NTNU 7491 Trondheim, Norway email: mila.vulchanovaMail to author|Respond to list|Read more issues|LINGUIST home page|Top of issue
humnet.unipi.it>* CALL FOR PAPERS * EUROLAN'99 Workshop Procedures in Discourse Interpretation http://www.humnet.unipi.it/~wpdi/main.html held as part of EUROLAN'99 July 19/31 A.I. Cuza University Iasi - Romania http://www.infoiasi.ro/~eurolan99 DESCRIPTION Our comprehension of the intended meaning of a discourse act, of the semantics of discourse segments, and of the coherence relations holding between them, relies on different types of knowledge, like the meaning of lexical items, domain-specific knowledge, commonsense knowledge, the particular view of the context, etc. During the process of discourse interpretation, specific procedures are activated, which, by manipulating in a uniform manner all these pieces of knowledge, carry out inferences and reasoning activities necessary to the identification of the preferred reading. The aim of this workshop is to provide a forum for discussing the nature of such procedures and the way they access and manipulate the relevant sources of knowledge. Theoretical issues like bridging, conflicts between lexically based and discourse-based inference, presupposition and anaphora resolution, and the relevance of cognitive constraints on discourse interpretation are especially welcome. Submissions are invited on, but not limited to, the following topics and issues: * How can lexical clues lead to the preferred interpretation? How are underspecified lexical representations solved in discourse? * What is the semantic contribution of verbal and nominal classes to discourse structure? * How can inference on nominals and events be modeled? * Are lexical features arranged along a prominence and accessibility hierarchy? To what extent could such a hierarchy affect the accessibility of referents? * In a frame/semantics perspective, when analyzing discourse one activates several frames connected to meaningful elements: do these elements have the same status or, especially if ambiguities arise, are some frames computed first? * To what extent does world knowledge (whether or not is is encoded into the lexical structure of an item) affect the interpretation process w.r.t consistency and informativity? How is the knowledge of context involved? * Which are the relevant factors in evaluating informativity and consistency? Prospective authors are encouraged to focus on procedural aspects in their approaches to discourse interpretation. This will ensure that all contributions share a common basis for discussion, notwithstanding their differences in perspective. WORKSHOPS FORMAT The workshop will consist of around twelve 20 min. presentations, organized into 4 short sessions, each followed by 30 min. of discussion. Some experienced discussants have been invited to comment and better orient the discussion. Participation to the workshop is open to all Eurolan'99 attendants. Copies of workshop proceedings will be made available. FORMAT FOR SUBMISSION Authors are requested to submit an abstract. Electronic submission is strongly encouraged. Send your electronic submission to: WPDIMail to author|Respond to list|Read more issues|LINGUIST home page|Top of issue