LINGUIST List 8.1617

Mon Nov 10 1997

Confs: Effects of Morphological Case

Editor for this issue: Anita Huang <anitalinguistlist.org>

Directory

1. Olaf Koeneman, Effects of Morphological Case

 C A L L F O R P A P E R S

EFFECTS OF MORPHOLOGICAL CASE


Workshop to be held at the Utrecht Institute of Linguistics OTS,
Utrecht University, 28-29 August 1998.

Organizers: Helen de Hoop, Olaf Koeneman, Iris Mulders, and Fred Weerman

INVITED SPEAKERS: PAUL KIPARSKY, JOAN MALING, ALEC MARANTZ

The aim of this workshop is to investigate the effects of
morphological case that go beyond its mere phonological
characteristics. In the GB model of the eighties, morphological case
was considered a spell-out of abstract case. While abstract case is
present in all languages, the spell-out is only in a subset. In such a
view, the presence of morphological case may help to uncover more
abstract features, but in itself it does not have syntactic or
semantic effects.

This runs counter to observations that the presence/absence of
morphological case correlates with the presence/absence of certain
syntactic and semantic properties. A case in point is the more or less
classical observation that the presence of morphological case is
related to the possibility for several types of scrambling. Other
approaches have been proposed to incorporate (some of) these effects
of morphological case and the idea that parametric differences should
be reducable to morphological properties has been defended with
varying success. Against this background, the present workshop seeks
answers for questions like the following: What is the relation between
morphological case and abstract case? What are the distributional,
interpretive and phonological effects of the presence of morphological
case?

The aim of this workshop is to bring together theoretical and
empirical considerations on the effects of morphological case. Issues
for discussion involve the implications of morphological case for
abstract case theory, the difference between structural and inherent
case, agreement, word order phenomena, grammaticalization processes,
discourse theory, and semantics. We welcome contributions relating to
all aspects of linguistics. In particular we are interested in
comparative, diachronic and acquisitional evidence that shows that
relations between morphological case and other aspects of the grammar
do (not) exist.

The program will include three invited lectures of experts on the
topic of morphological case. The provisional titles are as follows:

Paul Kiparsky (Stanford):

 `Cases as complementizers'

Joan Maling (Brandeis):

 `Morphological case is NOT (always) to blame!'

Alec Marantz (MIT): 

 `In defense of "spell-out": why morphological case should indeed have only
 an indirect reflective relation to the syntax'


The workshop has room for 13 selected talks of 35 minutes. Authors
should submit 5 copies of an anonymous abstract of no more than 2
pages, one camera-ready copy indicating the author's name and a 3x5"
card with the author's name, address, affiliation, e-mail address,
phone number, and the title of the paper. We hope to be able to
(partially) reimburse all speakers. Please send your abstracts to:

 Workshop on Morphological Case
 Utrecht Institute of Linguistics OTS
 Trans 10
 3512 JK Utrecht
 The Netherlands

The DEADLINE for submission is April 1, 1998.
Authors will be notified of acceptance by May 15.


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 
* Olaf Koeneman *
* Utrecht Institute of Linguistics OTS *
* Trans 10 (room 2.20), 3512 JK Utrecht *
* tel. +31 30 253 8304 *
* email: koenemanlet.ruu.nl *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *