LINGUIST List 14.508

Thu Feb 20 2003

Calls: Syntactic Functions/Minority Languages

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

Directory

1. seppo.kittila, Syntactic Functions, Finland
2. jhamersma, European Minority Languages and Research, UK

Syntactic Functions - Focus on the Periphery

Location: Helsinki, Finland 
Date: 14-Nov-2003 - 15-Nov-2003 
Call Deadline: 31-Jul-2003

Web Site: http://www.ling.helsinki.fi/sky/tapahtumat/synfunct/synfunct.shtml
Contact Person: Juhani Klemola
Meeting Email: synfunct-organizersling.helsinki.fi
Linguistic Subfield(s): General Linguistics 

Meeting Description: 

CALL FOR PAPERS

The Linguistic Association of Finland is organizing a symposium on

Syntactic Functions - Focus on the Periphery

to be held in Helsinki, Finland, November 14 - 15, 2003.

The symposium will bring together linguists interested in questions
dealing with syntactic functions. We invite papers addressing
theoretical questions as well as papers taking a specific (empirical)
viewpoint of one (or more) particular language(s). We especially
encourage papers that concentrate on the syntactic status and
description of ''peripheral'' constituents - such as adnominal and
adverbial modifiers, adpositional phrases, converbs, adjuncts,
discourse particles, various clause-size constituents etc. Possible
themes include:
- language specific problems in determining the syntactic function of
(a) specific constituent(s)
- the critical examination of principles used to define syntactic
functions
- the bordeline between ''the core'' and ''the peripehry'' or between
obligatory and optional constituents
- the status of syntactic functions - are they primitives or derived?

Furthermore, we warmly welcome scholars working on spoken language:
What kind of syntactic functions are there in spoken language? Does
the evidence from spoken language challenge the traditionally assumed
syntactic functions? Other topics relating to syntactic functions are
equally welcome.

Invited speakers:
- Christian Lehmann (University of Erfurt)
- Maria Vilkuna (Research Institute for the Languages of Finland)

Activities:
- lectures by invited speakers
- presentations by other participants (20 min + 10 min for discussion)
- posters

Symposium venue:
House of Sciences (administered by the Federation of Finnish Learned
Societies and situated in the heart of Helsinki city centre), Address:
Kirkkokatu 6, Helsinki, Finland

Homepage of the symposium:
http://www.ling.helsinki.fi/sky/tapahtumat/synfunct/synfunct.shtml

Abstracts:
The deadline for submission of abstracts (in English; max 500 words)
is July 31, 2003. Please submit your abstract by e-mail to the
following address: synfunct-organizersling.helsinki.fi. The
abstract should be included in the body of the message. Please
indicate clearly whether your abstract is intended as a poster or a
section paper. E-mail submissions are strongly recommended. If,
however, you send your abstract by ordinary mail, please provide an
e-mail address as a contact address.

Participants will be notified about acceptance by September 1,
2003. The abstracts will be published on the web pages of the
symposium.

Registration:
The deadline for registration is October 1, 2003. Register by e-mail
to the address above.

Registration fees:
- general: EUR 50
- members of the association: EUR 25
- undergraduate students free

Participants from abroad are requested to pay in cash upon
arrival. Participants from Finland may send the registration fee by
giro account no 800013-1424850 to The Linguistic Association of
Finland (SKY) / Symposium or pay in cash upon arrival.

Accommodation:
Please visit the web pages of the symposium at
http://www.ling.helsinki.fi/sky/tapahtumat/synfunct/synfunct.shtml

The organizing committee:

- chair
Juhani Klemola, Department of English, University of Vaasa, P.O. Box
700, FIN-65101 Vaasa, juhani.klemolauwasa.fi

- other members:
Marja Etel�m�ki, Department of Finnish, P.O. Box 4, FIN-00014
University of Helsinki, marja.etelamakihelsinki.fi
Seppo Kittil�, Department of General Linguistics, H�meenkatu 2 A 8,
FIN-20014 University of Turku, seppo.kittilautu.fi
Leena Kolehmainen, Department of German, P.O. Box 24, FIN-00014
University of Helsinki, leena.kolehmainenhelsinki.fi
Matti Miestamo, Department of General Linguistics, P.O. Box 9,
FIN-00014 University of Helsinki, matmiesling.helsinki.fi
Jussi Ylikoski, Finno-Ugrian Languages, Fennicum, FIN-20014 University
of Turku, jussi.ylikoskiutu.fi

1st Mercator International Symposium on European Minority Languages and Research

Short Title: 1st Mercator Symposium
Location: Abersystwyth, United Kingdom 
Date: 08-Apr-2003 - 10-Apr-2003 
Web Site: http://www.aber.ac.uk/%7Emerwww/indeng.htm
Contact Person: George Jones
Meeting Email: george.jonesaber.ac.uk
Linguistic Subfield(s): General Linguistics 

Meeting Description: 

This two-day symposium will take a wide-ranging look at the research
and information agenda for minority languages in the global age,
pinpointing priorities in the fields of academic research and
dissemination of information and awareness around European minority
languages. The discussion will look at the degree to which the
existing corpus of research and documentation on various aspects of
minority languages supplies the needs of minority language speakers
and communities and the extent to which it facilitates processes of
language revitalisation and normalisation. Presentation This two-day
symposium will take a wide-ranging look at the research and
information agenda for minority languages in the global age,
pinpointing priorities in the fields of academic research and
dissemination of information and awareness around European minority
languages. The discussion will look at the degree to which the
existing corpus of research and documentation on various aspects of
minority languages supplies the needs of minority language speakers
and communities and the extent to which it facilitates processes of
language revitalisation and normalisation.

The conference will be an opportunity for participants to present
their own most recent work and to indicate what they see as the
'cutting edge' of research and information activity in their
field. Contributions will be welcomed from those working with minority
languages and their promotion in other professions. The discussion
will seek to bring together academic research and language promotion,
examining ways in which one can supply the needs of the other. NOTE:
The last date for presenting papers is January 28, 2003.

We envisage that the major strands of the conference may include the
following, although we remain open to propositions which may not
precisely fit any of these categories, or which may relate to more
than one:

1. Minority Languages and the Media, including particularly the
internet
2. Minority Languages and Education 
3. Minority Languages, Legislation and Language Planning 
4. Minority Languages and Economics 
5. Minority Languages in New EU Member States / Eastern Europe 
6. Minority Languages and Linguistics (including descriptive
linguistics, sociolinguistics, applied linguistics etc)
7. Language transmission / acquisition 
8. Territory and migration in relation to minority languages 
9. Language and cultural change in the wake of globalisation 

We also want to emphasise certain 'overarching' themes, i.e. ones
which cut across all the above categories, for instance globalisation
and the linkage between research and language promotion or
revitalisation. In all categories emphasis should be on innovative
work, the identification of lacunae, and perceived needs of
communities at both at grass roots level and in the political sphere.

For further information
Mercator Media
george.jonesaber.ac.uk