LINGUIST List 29.161
Mon Jan 08 2018
Calls: Anthro Ling, Gen Ling, Genetic Classification, Historical Ling, Typology/Estonia
Editor for this issue: Kenneth Steimel <kenlinguistlist.org>
Date: 08-Jan-2018
From: Antonio Benítez-Burraco <abenitez8
us.es>
Subject: Linking genetic and linguistic diversities
E-mail this
message to a friend Full Title: Linking genetic and linguistic
diversities
Date: 29-Aug-2018 - 01-Sep-2018
Location: Tallinn, Estonia
Contact
Person: Antonio Benítez-Burraco
Meeting Email:
<
click here to access email >
Linguistic Field(s): Anthropological Linguistics; General Linguistics; Genetic
Classification; Historical Linguistics; Typology
Call Deadline: 15-Jan-2018
Meeting Description:
The sequencing of genomes from present-day
human groups on a massive scale (e.g. the 1000-Genomes Project) suggests that the
genetic foundations of language (that is, the set of genes that regulate the aspects
of brain development, wiring, and function important for language acquisition and
processing and the organs necessary for its production and perception) may not be
uniform across the species and that variants of many of these genes may influence
language knowledge and use by the neurotypical population. This is in line with
recent research suggesting that cognitive differences among human populations are
not only due to cultural and sociological forces, but also to genetic changes in
response to different environments and ecological niches. Overall, this opens the
possibility that aspects of language known to vary cross-linguistically, like
morphosyntax or phonology, may be a response to the environment in which human
groups live possibly mediated by some kind of genetic changes.
At the same
time, this kind of genetic variation (but also the variation resulting from the
sequencing of the genomes of early anatomically-modern humans) allows us to infer
aspects of human groups dynamics (population size, social structure, mating
behaviors, etc.) that are known to influence the structure of languages and language
complexity. Accordingly, the study of genetic variation may also help refine our
view of language change in the past and the ecology of present-day languages.
Specific research questions to be addressed include (but are not limited to):
- Patterns of global linguistic diversity compared to genetic diversity
- Ecological factors accounting for language diversity (with a potential impact
on genetic diversity and vice versa)
- Genetic analysis of socio-cultural
factors accounting for language diversity
- Gene-culture co-evolution and
language diversity
- Using genetic diversity for making inferences about
language change in the past
- The adaptive value of linguistic diversity
2nd Call for Papers:
If you are interested in contributing to this
workshop, we kindly ask you to submit an abstract.
Abstracts are submitted
via Easychair. To submit your abstract, please click on
https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=sle2018
Abstracts should clearly state research questions, approach, method, data
and (expected) results. They should not contain the names of the presenters, nor
their affiliations or addresses, or any other information that may reveal their
authorship. They should not exceed 500 words (excluding references). Abstracts
should have the same title as the entry submitted via Easychair.
The list
of workshops can be found here
http://sle2018.eu/list-of-workshops
.
Page Updated: 08-Jan-2018