Full Title: III Workshop on Linguistic Variation at Interfaces
Short Title: VARINT 2026
Theme: Linguistic variation in terms of (micro) parameters and networks

Date: 19-Mar-2026 - 20-Mar-2026
Location: Girona, Spain
Contact Person: Fancesc Roca
Meeting Email: [email protected]
Web Site: https://esdeveniments.udg.edu/go/varint2026

Linguistic Field(s): Morphology; Phonology; Semantics; Syntax

Call Deadline: 20-Oct-2025

Call for Papers:

The main aim of the Workshop on Linguistic Variation at Interfaces III – VARINT26 is to widen our understanding of the empirical phenomena displaying linguistic variation, their relevance for the design of the overall grammatical architecture, and the current status of approaches to variation in terms of (micro) parameters and networks.

Descriptive-formal generative approaches to variation are founded on the hypothesis that variation among languages is understood as the interaction between a set of choices or parameters and the set of universal properties that constrain possible grammars or I-languages (cf. Chomsky 2005, Roberts 2019 a.o.). From this perspective, both synchronic and diachronic variation is explained through formal features of grammatical items that we link to the formulation of micro or macro parameters and hierarchical relations among them (cf. Kayne 2005, Baker 2008, Biberauer & Roberts 2015) as well as to the processes of linguistic change and grammaticalization (cf., Roberts, & Roussou 2003, van Gelderen 2011).

We especially welcome contributions that, with such a broad-spectrum taken in mind, focus on issues related to language variation and the theory of grammar, to the interfaces of syntax with the morphology-lexicon and the semantic-discourse components, to morphosyntactic variation among Romance languages and dialects, and to language contact and language variation phenomena.

Invited Speakers:
- Anna Cardinaletti (University of Venice)
- Maia Duguine (University of the Basque Country – CNRS)
- Adam Ledgeway (University of Bergamo)
- Andrés Saab (University of Buenos Aires)

Abstracts, including examples, references, tables, or figures, must not exceed 2 pages, in a 12 point font and with margins at least 2.5 cm on all sides. Abstracts should be submitted in an anonymous PDF file to the conference website (please follow the instructions provided by the platform to create your account):
https://esdeveniments.udg.edu/137059/upload/iii-workshop-on-linguistic-variation-at-interfaces-varint-2026.html

Submissions are limited to a maximum of one individual and one joint abstract, or two joint abstracts per author.
Each presenter will get 20 minutes for presentation followed by 10 minutes for discussion.

Important Dates:
Deadline for abstract submission (extended): October 20th, 2025
Notification of acceptance: December 20th, 2025
Conference dates: March 19th-20th, 2026

Contact:
E-mail: [email protected]
Conference website: https://esdeveniments.udg.edu/go/varint2026

References:
Baker, Mark. 2008. The macroparameter in a microparametric world. In Theresa Biberauer (ed.), The limits of syntactic variation, 351-374. Amsterdam: Benjamins.
Biberauer, Theresa & Ian Roberts. 2015. The clausal hierarchy, features, and parameters. In Ur Shlonsky (ed.), Beyond functional sequence, 295-313. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Chomsky, Noam. 2005. Three factors in language design. Linguistic Inquiry 36: 1-22.
Kayne, Richard S. 2005. Some notes on comparative syntax, with special reference to French and English. In Guglielmo Cinque & Richard S. Kayne (eds.), The Oxford handbook on comparative syntax, 3-69. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Roberts, Ian. 2019. Parameter hierarchies and Universal Grammar. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Roberts, Ian & Anna Roussou. 2003. Syntactic change. A minimalist approach to grammaticalization. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
van Gelderen, Elly. 2011. The linguistic cycle: Language change and the language faculty. Oxford: Oxford University Press.