LINGUIST List 14.249

Thu Jan 23 2003

Confs: Linguistic Diversity and Language Theories

Editor for this issue: Karolina Owczarzak <karolinalinguistlist.org>

Directory

1. Zygmunt.Frajzyngier, Linguistic Diversity and Language Theories, CO USA

International Symposium on Linguistic Diversity and Language Theories

Location: Boulder, Colorado, USA
Date: 14-MAY-03 - 17-MAY-03

Web Site: http://www.colorado.edu/linguistics/symposium/
Contact Person: Zygmunt Frajzyngier
Meeting Email: Zygmunt.FrajzyngierColorado.EDU

Linguistic Subfield(s): 
Genetic Classification, General Linguistics, Linguistic Theories


Meeting Description: 

				
The following is a list of confirmed participants:

Greville Corbett, University of Sussex
Michael Cysouw, Zentrum f�r Allgemeine Sprachwissenschaft, Berlin
Matthew Dryer, University of Buffalo
Nick Evans, University of Melbourne
Zygmunt Frajzyngier, University of Colorado
David Gil, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig
Ferdinand de Haan, University of Arizona
Claude Hagege, College de France, Paris
Gilbert Lazard, College de France, Paris
Frank Lichtenberk, University of Auckland
Marianne Mithun, University of California, Santa Barbara
Robert Nicolai, University of Nice
Regina Pustet, University of M�nchen,
Stephane Robert, CNRS-LLACAN, Villejuif, France
Anders Soegaard, University of Copenhagen
Liang Tao, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio
Farzad Sharifian, Edith Cowan University, Western Australia
Gil'ad Zuckerman, Churchill College, University of Cambridge

There are still a few presentation spots available, and we are
accepting abstracts until February 15. We are looking for papers
dealing with natural language phenomena that need to be accounted for
by linguistic theories, and issues detailed in the conference themes
below.

You are welcome to attend even if you are not presenting a paper. The
registration fee is $30. The conference program will be available
March 15. Please visit our Web site for more information,
http://www.colorado.edu/linguistics/symposium.

CONFERENCE THEMES

The purpose of the Symposium is to identify hitherto unstated or
understated fundamental issues in linguistic theories taking into
account the rich variation of forms and functions observed in the
languages of the world. The symposium will examine the goals of both
theories of language structure and theories of language evolution. One
of the expected outcomes of the symposium will be a new set of
questions to be addressed by language theories. Some of the questions
to be put before the participants with respect to the theories of
language structure are:

- What should be the proper object for theories of language structure?
- What should a theory of language structure explain?
- Should there be common formal elements in the theories of language structure?
- Should there be common functional elements?
- What elements should a theory of language structure contain?
- What should be the relationship between theories of language
structure and the theories of cognition?

Some of the questions with respect to theories of language change are:

- What are motivations for language change and grammaticalization?
- What are the roles and properties of functions in language change?
- What are the roles and properties of forms in language change?
- Does human conscious choice play a part in language change?
- Is there a role for adaptability in language change? What would such
a role be?