Full Title: Détermination grammaticale et sémantique : catégorisation, cognition et appropriation
Short Title: DGSCCA

Date: 27-Mar-2024 - 28-Mar-2024
Location: Université de Picardie Jules Verne, Amiens, France
Contact Person: Paula Prescod
Meeting Email: [email protected]

Linguistic Field(s): Applied Linguistics; General Linguistics; Linguistic Theories; Semantics; Syntax

Call Deadline: 08-Sep-2023

Meeting Description:

International Workshop: Grammatical and semantic determination: categorization, cognition and acquisition,
March 27 & 28, 2024, Université de Picardie Jules Verne, Amiens, France

Overview
Recently, determiners have received a significant amount of attention in the study of linguistic phenomena. In the past, determiners were regarded as a purely grammatical class, with research focusing on their distribution. Recent approaches, however, have expanded the theoretical scope of determinacy beyond grammar and distribution. Alongside the distributional approach (Guillaume 1919) and the DP Hypothesis (Abney 1987; Zribi-Hertz 2002) there are studies focusing on semantics (Chierchia 1998), enunciation (Culioli 1999), cognitive grammar (Langacker 1991, 2008), construction grammar (Goldberg 1995), and usage-based grammar (Tomasello 2003). This diversity of approaches has resulted in a variety of descriptions, classifications, and functions of determiners. What is a determiner? Which elements are categorized as determiners? To which grammatical or other categories does a given determiner belong? How does a determiner function within a noun phrase? What is the significance of the absence of a determiner in nominal reference? These questions have prompted researchers to investigate the expression of determiners in an effort to obtain a deeper understanding of this intricate field.
Cognitive grammar (CG) stands out among these approaches due to its more semantically-oriented approach to language phenomena. CG proposes a range of terminologies to describe the construction of meaning in discourse, including "mental spaces" in Fauconnier (1984), "conceptual structures" in Langacker (1991), and "cognitive representations" in Talmy (2000a, b). While it is revolutionary, the cognitivist approach to determination incorporates functionalism in certain applications. For instance, Langacker's (1991, 2008) grounding theory partially aligns with the TOPE theory developed by Culioli (Gardelle 2022). This interdisciplinary approach at the intersection of psychology and sociology provides new perspectives on foreign language instruction and acquisition. Cognitive abilities, particularly conceptual skills as defined by Langacker, cast light on ambiguous linguistic phenomena, departing from the traditional model based on teaching “rules and regulations” (Littlemore 2011). These abilities serve as a mechanism for language acquisition, allowing learners to overcome the “limits” of their native tongue. When individuals acquire a second language, cognition functions as a “magnifying glass” to “expand” their own logic, and conceptualization is the means by which they construct meaning. Consequently, CG can be used in language instruction to reduce the difficulties associated with acquiring expressions of determination, whether due to interference from the learner's native language or the asymmetry of the determination system between the learner's native language and the target language.
The objective of this international workshop is to examine the topic of determination from a variety of perspectives, particularly those of the cognitivist and functionalist schools. Special consideration will be given to the presence and absence of definite and indefinite articles. Among the possible research areas are, but not limited to:

1) The categorization and/or function of determiners;
2) The absence of determiners in nominal reference;
3) Teaching and learning the expression of determination from a cross-linguistic perspective.

Call for Papers:

Please send an abstract, in WORD format, of about 500 words (and five keywords) in French or English, followed by a selective bibliography, to:

HUANG Sa: [email protected] & PRESCOD Paula: [email protected]

Talks can be given in French or English. However, there is no limit to the languages of focus.

Paper submission instructions:

Please send an abstract, in WORD format, of about 500 words (and five keywords) in French or English, followed by a selective bibliography, to:

HUANG Sa: [email protected] & PRESCOD Paula: [email protected]

Talks can be given in French or English. However, there is no limit to the languages of focus.

Important dates:

Deadline for submission of paper proposals: September 8, 2023
Notification of proposal selection results: October 6, 2023
Workshop dates: March 27 & 28, 2024
Format: Hybrid mode at the Université de Picardie Jules Verne, Amiens, France

Guest lecture:

GARDELLE Laure, university professor, English linguistics
Working title: La distinction entre absence de déterminant et présence d'un déterminant défini dans les généralisations en anglais

Workshop Coordinators:

HUANG Sa : [email protected]
PRESCOD Paula : [email protected]

Scientific Committee:

- ARSLANGUL Arnaud, INALCO, France
- GARDELLE Laure, Université Grenoble Alpes, France
- JANSEN Silke, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität, Erlangen-Nuremberg, Allemagne
- KNITTEL Marie-Laurence, Université de Lorraine, France
- KUO Jenny Yi-chun, 國立嘉義大學, Taiwan
- LE BRUYN Bert, Utrecht University, Netherlands
- LEBAS-FRACZAK Lidia, Université Clermont Auvergne, France
- MARI Alda, Institut Jean Nicod CNRS, France
- ROBERT Jean-Michel, Université de Picardie Jules Verne, France
- SUN Hongyuan, Université de Picardie Jules Verne, France
- TOUSSAINT Daria, Université de Caen, France