Sponsored by the Language Acquisition Research Center (LARC) of the University of Massachusetts Amherst
“Heritage speakers” have been described by Polinsky and Kagan (2007) as people raised in a home where one language is spoken, but who subsequently switch to another dominant language. This conference aims to explore the formal properties of Heritage Speaker grammars and where they diverge from both native “baseline” and L2 speaker grammars. The program will also include a workshop on research techniques for heritage languages.
Invited speakers:
Ana Perez-Leroux, University of Toronto
Acrisio Pires, University of Michigan
Maria Polinsky, Harvard University
Abstracts for presentations or posters are solicited on both theoretical and acquisition issues that connect Heritage to L1 or L2 research.
Priority will be given to work that addresses specific theoretical domains, such as, but not limited to: aspect, binding, quantification, and movement and more specifically, agreement, case, tense, and mood.
Talks will be 20 minutes long, with 10 minutes for discussion. Abstracts should be one page, font size 12 pt., with one-inch margins. A second page may (optionally) be used for examples, tables or graphs, and references. In order to maintain anonymity during the review process, please do not include your name or otherwise identify yourself anywhere in your abstract.
Abstracts should be sent by email in pdf format to bpearson@research.umass.edu. Please use ‘abstract submission’ as subject heading. The body of the message should include the author’s name(s), title, and contact information.
For more information about the call or the conference, contact the organizers: Tom Roeper, Luiz Amaral, or Barbara Zurer Pearson ( roeper@linguist.umass.edu, amaral@spanport.umass.edu orbpearson@research.umass.edu )
Abstract deadline: February 29, 2012 (midnight EST)
Notification of acceptance: March 10, 2012
Workshop dates: April 20-21, 2012
