LINGUIST List 17.3091

Fri Oct 20 2006

Calls: Cognitive Science/Historical Linguistics/Pragmatics

Editor for this issue: Hannah Morales <hannahlinguistlist.org>


Directory         1.    Michael Arbib, Interaction Studies


Message 1: Interaction Studies
Date: 18-Oct-2006
From: Michael Arbib <arbibusc.edu>
Subject: Interaction Studies



Full Title: Interaction Studies

Linguistic Field(s): Cognitive Science; Historical Linguistics; Pragmatics

Call Deadline: 01-Feb-2007

Holophrasis, Compositionality and Protolanguage

This announcement is a call for contributions to a special issue of thejournal 'Interaction Studies' devoted to 'Holophrasis versusCompositionality in the Emergence of Protolanguage' and to be edited byMichael Arbib and Derek Bickerton.

The issue of whether the protolanguage(s) that formed the basis for theearliest forms of human language

i) consisted of items with the semantic scope of present-day words thatwere subsequently conjoined to form larger utterances, or

ii) consisted of single items with the semantic scope of present-daysentences that were subsequently decomposed into words

is currently a highly controversial one in the evolution of language, andwe welcome papers from newcomers to the controversy as well as those whohave already taken part in it.

Preference will be given to papers that, rather than attempting an overviewof the entire issue, treat one particular aspect and develop new argumentsin some depth. Such aspects include (but are by no means limited to):

Computational assumptionsConceptual structureDecompositionLearnability of protolanguageNeurological correlatesPaleontological and ecological contextsPractical utilityProto-conversation and proto-speech-actsRoots of phonologyRoots of semanticsRoots of syntax

Prospective contributors should prepare abstracts of not more than 800words and submit them electronically (MS word format preferred) to botharbibhawaii.rr.com. The deadline for submittingabstracts is February 1, 2007.

The editors will select a set of abstracts for development into full papersand inform prospective authors of their decision by March 1, 2007.

The due date for submission of full papers will be June 1, 2007. Themaximum length of each paper is 6,500 words. These papers will be subjectto rigorous refereeing, but it is unlikely that such a paper will berejected, though extensive revisions may be required.