Ivy Hauser and Coral Hughto write:
PRG will be held tomorrow night at 7:30pm. We will meet at Presley's place in Northampton. Ivy will be discussing a couple papers she has read in pursuit of a GP topic and talking about potential ideas. As always, dinner is provided!
The implications of computation and learnability for phonological theory
Crystallizing a feeling widespread in the field, Mark van Oostendorp (2013) writes: ''It is fair to say that we know much more about sound patterns in human language than people did at the beginning of the 20th Century. At the same time, many phonologists seem to feel that we have not yet reached the standards of some of the ‘hard’ sciences.'' An obstacle to progress seems to be the fact that competing phonological theories are underdetermined by sheer typological and linguistic data. Moving beyond descriptive adequacy, Alan Prince thus proposes that ''rational arguments about two theories’ comparative success […] depend on a broad assessment of their properties.'' Among the formal properties of a phonological theory which are crucial for its comparative assessment are its computability and learnability properties.
This workshop thus aims at investigating the implications of computation and learnability for phonological theory. The issues addressed include (but are not limited to): the computability/intractability of phonological grammars and the debate among derivational, representational, and constraint-based frameworks; learnability guarantees and the debate between competing modes of constraint interaction; the characterization of phonological patterns within the sub-regular hierarchy and the expressive power of phonological formalisms; the learnability filter and its implications for the evaluation of the typologies predicted by competing phonological theories; methods for constraint induction and the phonetic grounding of the phonological constraints; statistical methods, probabilistic grammars and the divide between categorical and gradient models of phonological competence; the learnability of phonological processes conditioned by prosodic domains and its implications for the syntax/phonology interface. The workshop adopts an inclusive perspective, open to any computational approach and any phonological framework.
Invited speakers:
Paul Boersma (University of Amsterdam)
Bruce Tesar (Rutgers University)
Important dates:
abstract submission deadline: December 1st, 2014
notification of acceptance: February 15th, 2015
workshop date: April 18th, 2015
Submission:
We invite abstracts for a 20 minute oral presentation followed by a 10 minute discussion. Abstracts should be anonymous and should not exceed 2 pages in length (A4 or letter-size, in 12 pt. font, with 1-inch/2.5-cm margins), including examples and references. The language of the workshop is English. Abstracts should be submitted through the GLOW 38 Easychair page (https://www.easychair.org/conferences/?conf=glow38), specifying that the submission should be considered for the workshop.
Website: https://sites.google.com/site/2015glow/home
Organizers:
Joaquim Brandao de Carvalho,
Mohamed Lahrouchi,
Giorgio Magri,
Michela Russo
The Department of Linguistics, McGill University, invites applications for a tenure-track position in phonetics and related areas of experimental linguistics at the rank of Assistant Professor, effective August 1, 2015. Applicants should have a research agenda that connects to the existing strengths of the Department. General qualifications are a PhD in linguistics or a related field and demonstrated excellence in research and teaching in the area(s) of specialization. Duties will include undergraduate and graduate teaching, graduate research guidance and administrative responsibilities.
Deadline for applications: November 7, 2014.
All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply; however, in accordance with Canadian immigration requirements, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.
McGill University is committed to diversity and equity in employment. It welcomes applications from: women, Aboriginal persons, persons with disabilities, ethnic minorities, persons of minority sexual orientation or gender identity, visible minorities, and others who may contribute to diversification.
Interested candidates should submit an application consisting of a letter of introduction, a curriculum vitae, a research statement, a teaching statement, samples of research and teaching evaluations. Applicants should also arrange for three referees to submit letters of reference. The application and the letters of reference must be uploaded directly at https://academicjobsonline.org (position ID:McGill Linguistics ASSTPROF #4520). To ensure full consideration, all materials should be submitted by November 7, 2014.
Anisa Schardl writes:
For the past 7 years, linguists have participated in the annual Hot Chocolate Run. Let's make it 8!
The Hot Chocolate Run is a 3K walk or 5K race or 5K fun run, followed by consumption of hot chocolate. You pay money to register, and this money goes to Safe Passage, an organization that helps domestic violence survivors in the area. And you get a commemorative mug to keep.
HCR website: http://www.hotchocolaterun.com/
Safe Passage website: http://safepass.org/
This year's HCR is on Sunday morning, December 7th. They are expecting registration to sell out in only about 6 weeks this year, so we'd better get on it!
Here's what you do: Go to the website and register. You have to say whether you're walking or running, but you can change your mind later, so don't worry too much about that. When you register, you are welcome to join the team Linguists & Friends. Then, email me and tell me that you're participating, and I can arrange for us to meet up.
Here's the registration site: http://www.hotchocolaterun.com/register/
If you can't make it, but you still want to support Safe Passage, feel free to sponsor one of us! You can just go to this website and search by name or by team. (Our team is "Linguists & Friends”.) https://www.pledgereg.com/
Workshop on (Co-)Distributivity 2015
26-27 February 2015
CNRS Pouchet, Salle de conférences
59 rue Pouchet, 75017 Paris
Workshop organised by the project (Co-)distributivity of the Fédération Typologie et universaux du langage (CNRS FR 2559)
Invited speakers :
Donka Farkas (UC Santa Cruz)
Viola Schmitt (Wien)
We encourage submissions exploring the linguistic means used to establish distributive dependencies, including, but not limited to, questions like the following :
- the syntax and semantics of markers of distributive keys (e.g. distributive quantifiers) or distributive shares (e.g. Hungarian reduplicated numerals)
- multiplication effects for indefinite singulars (e.g. He eats a sandwich for breakfast.)
- distribution effects for plurals (e.g. dependent plurals : Here professors wear ties.)
- distribution effects over times (e.g. A lot of people have been dying of this disease lately).
We welcome work on formal syntax and semantics on distributive dependencies (distributivity and co-distributivity) in spoken and sign languages.
We invite submissions for 25-minute presentations (plus ten-minute discussions).
Abstracts should be at most 2 pages in length (including examples and references) written in French or English.
Abstracts must be anonymous and should be sent by e-mail (plain ASCII, rtf, ps or pdf) to: codistr@pouchet.cnrs.fr
Abstract Submission Deadline : 7 Dec 2014
Please write the (first) author’s name plus the word ’abstract’ in the subject line of your message (e.g., ’Dupont abstract’), and include
- author name(s),
- affiliation,
- contact information and
- the title of the abstract in the body of the email.
For co-authored papers indicate the email address that we should use for correspondence.
For more information:
Website : http://www.umr7023.cnrs.fr/Journee-Co-Distributivite-2015.html
E-mail : codistr@pouchet.cnrs.fr
Abstract Submission Deadline : 7 Dec 2014
Notification of Acceptance : 20 Dec 2014
Workshop : Thur 26 - Fri 27 February 2015
At the Courant Research Centre “Text Structures” at the University of Göttingen a full post-doc position is available starting from *Dec. 01, 2014* or as soon as possible within the junior research group “Theoretical Linguistics". The salary is in accordance with the German TV-L 13 regulations. The contract shall expire on *Sept. 30, 2016*.
The successful applicant has a PhD in linguistics, research experience including publications in syntax/semantics/pragmatics and in particular research interest in at least one of the following fields:
- the syntax, semantics and pragmatics of indefinite NPs,
- the syntax, and semantics of conditionals,
- the syntax and semantics of questions and the pragmatics of answers,
- information structure,
- syntax and semantics of tense and aspect.
The applicant will be expected to get involved in collaborative research projects at the University of Göttingen and at the Courant Research Centre “Text Structures” including interdisciplinary research. A research record in mathematical or in experimental linguistics are of advantage. Moreover, experience with computational linguistics, programming and statistics as well as proficiency in German constitute an advantage but are no strict requirements.
The University of Göttingen attempts to increase the number of female researchers and therefore explicitly invites women to apply. Disabled candidates will be preferred in case of similar qualification.
Applications in English or German should be submitted before *November 1, 2014* to:
Georg-August-Universität Göttingen,
Courant Forschungszentrum “Textstrukturen”
Edgar Onea / Julia Busse
Nikolausberger Weg 23 D-37073 Göttingen
E-Mail: edgar.onea@zentr.uni-goettingen.de
John Kingston writes:
Yesterday's open house and house warming in the Linguistics Department's new space in the north wing of the fourth floor of the Integrative Learning Center was crowded with linguists and guests, adults and infants, current students and old. Dean Julie Hayes spoke to us about the new space, the Department's new endowment, and the future of our old space in South College. We lunched, had a poster session, slide show, and tour, including gazing out the window at the top of the stairs at the green roof, then spent a long time in N400 looking at photos of past and present members of the department, and finally wound up with stronger drink and appetizers. (The posters will remain up until they can be updated with newer evidence of the great linguistics we're doing. Reading them is a great way, too, to find out what your colleagues in other areas are doing.) A new game was even introduced, Gobblets.
I'd like to especially thank the students who helped hang posters, display slides, get the rooms shipshape to show off, bring the food and drink, and do everything else that made the day a success. They are:
Caroline Andrews
Sakshi Bhatia
Michael Clauss
Ivy Hauser
Leland Kusmer
Coral Hughto
Jyoti Iyer
Jon-Ander Mendia
Claire Moore-Cantwell
Amanda Rysling
Shayne Sloggett
Megan Somerday
Robert Staubs
The Comparative Germanic Syntax Workshop was hosted by York University over the weekend. In addition to Nick LaCara’s paper “Why is there no verb stranding in mainland Scandinavian,” UMass alumnus Andrew Weir presented the paper “The cartography of ‘yes’ and ‘no’ in West Flemish” with Liliane Haegeman.
Seth Cable’s paper “Distributive Numerals and Distance Distributivity in Tlingit (and Beyond)” has appeared in the latest issue of Language. Congratulations Seth!
MIT will host the forty-fifth meeting of the North East Linguistic Society October 31-November 2. The program for the conference is now available here. UMass is well represented:
Alumna Amy Rose Deal, now at UC, Santa Cruz, will give the paper “Properties of probes: Evidence from New Perce complementizer agreement."
Alumnus Shigeto Kawahara, with Aaron Braver, is giving the poster “Modeling incomplete neutralization: Paradigm Uniformity and a phonetics with weighted constraints."
Jason Overfelt is giving the poster “Cyclic Linearization and constraints on remnant movement."
Aleksei Nazarov is giving the poster “Non-maximal feet as reduction domains in Dutch."
Ethan Poole is giving the poster “Deconstructing quirky subjects."
Anisa Schardl is giving the poster “Partial movement in eh-questions: An analysis involving Q"
Andrew Weir presents the paper “Fragment answers in English: A PF-movement account."
Alumnus Florian Schwarz, with many colleagues, presents the paper “Scalar implicatures vs. presuppositions: The view from Broca’s aphasia"
Seth Cable presents the poster “Semantics of graded tense in complement clauses: Evidence that future is not a tense."
Alumnus Keir Moulton, with Nino Grillo, presents the poster “Pseudo-relatives: Big but transparent."
Megan Somerday is presenting the paper “(Some) partial reduplication is full reduplication."
Alumna Karen Jesney is presenting the paper “Counterbled-Counterfeeding in Harmonic Grammar."
The department’s open house is this Saturday, September 27. The events start at 1 PM with a light lunch and opening remarks after which there is a tour of the Integrative Learning Center at 1:30. At 2-ish there is a poster session and slide show, followed by drinks and canapés. Events wrap up at 4:30.
The doors at the North Pleasant Street entrance to the Integrative Learning Center will be open at noon, and visitors are encouraged to find parking in north campus, as the Homecoming football game will tie up south campus. Lots 62 and 63 are close to the Integrative Learning Center, and can be found on the maps here.
Everyone is welcome: come see our new quarters and meet the faculty and students of the new linguistics department.
Brian Dillon writes:
We'll be meeting at Amanda and Shayne's house on Tuesday 9/23, at 7pm, for our psych reading group meeting. Our goal is to have some discussions to prepare ourselves for Liina Pylkkänen's talk. In particular, we'll be discussing the book chapter, which Liina has sent us as suggested reading for any prep work we might do.
David Caplan (Harvard Medical School) will be giving the cognitive brown bag on Wednesday, September 24, at noon in Tobin 521B. The title and abstract follow.
Disorders of Syntactic Comprehension
This talk will review eleven models that have been proposed regarding the deficit(s) that produce syntactic comprehension disorders in people with aphasia due to stroke. These models will be evaluated in relation to existing data in the literature and unpublished data from 61 people with aphasia who were tested for the ability to understand 11 sentence types using self-paced listening and sentence picture matching.
Leland Kusmer writes:
SSRG will be meeting on Wednesday (September 24th) this week. We'll have discussion of Gajewski on analyticity (see also this handout), brainstorming of possible future topics, and general merriment. While discussion will be best if a number of people have looked at the paper linked above, feel free to come regardless. As always, food will be provided. We'll be meeting at the home of Jon Ander and Megan, in Northampton.
Liina Pylkkanen (NYU) will present the first department colloquium this Friday, September 29, at 3:30 in the seminar hub (ILC N400). Here’s the title and abstract:
Semantic Composition: A Brain’s Eye View
Though decades of research within formal semantics and in the psychology of concepts have characterized the nature of the complex semantic representations of natural language, this body of work has only recently begun to inform the brain science of semantic representation. In this talk I will bring together perspectives from theoretical linguistics, cognitive psychology and neuropsychology to discuss what is currently known about the brain basis of meaning composition. While differences in cognitive neuroscience techniques and experimental paradigms often result in more differences than similarities, a remarkable convergence arises from hemodynamic methods, magnetoencephalography (MEG) and neuropsychological data implicating the left anterior temporal lobe (LATL) as a core region for the construction of complex meaning. My focus will be on MEG data, on the basis of which we have characterized the timing of LATL activity in comprehension as relatively early, peaking at 200-250ms after the onset of a composing word. Progress in our understanding of the computational contribution of this activity is only beginning to gain momentum, but I will summarize an initial body of results suggesting that, crucially, the LATL supports automatic, task-insensitive composition in both comprehension and production and that its contribution is clearly semantic, as opposed to syntactic in nature.
WHISC is pleased to report that Robert Rothstein was presented the Republic of Poland’s highest award given to people living outside of Poland -- The Order of Merit (pictured below) — at a ceremony last Monday, September 15, at the Chancellor’s residence. In addition to being an adjunct professor in Linguistics, Professor Rothstein directs the Slavic and East European Studies program and writes a column for the biweekly Boston newspaper Bialy Orzel. You can learn more here.
The 29th Comparative Germanic Syntax Workshop is taking place at the University of York on September 26-27. UMass is represented by Nicholas LaCara, who will be presenting his paper “Why there is no Verb Stranding in Scandinavian.” York University is also hosting a workshop entitled “The State of the Art in Comparative Syntax,” immediately before CGSW. For information about both meetings, go here.
The Department of Linguistics at the University of California, Berkeley, has been authorized to make an appointment in semantics and pragmatics. This position will be at the rank of assistant professor (tenure-track) or associate professor (tenured). Salary will be commensurate with experience. Duties will include undergraduate and graduate advising and teaching (up to four courses per year, in semantics and other areas of linguistics), supervision of student research, and development of a successful and original research program. The PhD (or equivalent) is required by the start date of the appointment; all degree requirements other than the dissertation must be complete at the time of application.
Applicants must have a broad intellectual engagement in linguistics and a theoretically informed research specialization in semantics and pragmatics. Applicants must be able to teach formal model-theoretic semantics at all levels, including seminars and research mentoring, and should have research interests or skills that intersect with an allied field such as cognitive science, corpus or experimental linguistics, historical linguistics, language documentation, morphology, syntax, or typology.
Applications must include a cover letter, curriculum vitae, research and teaching statements, and copies of representative written work (up to 5 items may be submitted). Applications must contain evidence of teaching excellence or potential (either through separate documentation or through information in the cover letter, c.v., or recommendation letters). Applicants must arrange for 2-5 (preferably at least 3) letters of recommendation to be submitted through the online application system. All recommendation letters will be treated as confidential according to University of California policy and California state law. Please refer potential referees, including those who provide letters via a third party, to the UC Berkeley Confidentiality Policy (http://apo.berkeley.edu/evalltr.html).
Please submit all materials electronically at https://aprecruit.berkeley.edu/apply/JPF00505. We encourage applicants to submit materials by November 14, 2014, when review of applications will begin; no application materials will be accepted after December 1, 2014. Select candidates will be interviewed at the LSA Annual Meeting in Portland, January 8-11, 2015; thereafter a few candidates will be invited for campus visits. Questions can be sent to Paula Floro (floro@berkeley.edu).
We are interested in candidates whose research, teaching, or service prepares them to contribute to UC Berkeley’s commitment to diversity and inclusion in higher education. We welcome applications from those who have had non-traditional career paths, have achieved excellence in careers outside academia, or have taken time off for family reasons. For information about relocation to Berkeley or the career needs of partners, please visit calcierge.berkeley.edu (or e-mail calcierge@berkeley.edu).
The 41st Annual Meeting of the Berkeley Linguistics Society (BLS41) will take place Saturday and Sunday, February 7-8, 2014, on the UC Berkeley campus. BLS41 welcomes submissions of abstracts that make rigorous use of linguistic data from a variety of sources and in a variety of subdisciplines, both descriptive and theoretical.
General Session
The general session welcomes papers from phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, pragmatics, sociolinguistics, historical-comparative linguistics, cognitive linguistics, and psycholinguistics.
Jessica Coon, Assistant Professor, McGill University
William Croft, Professor of Linguistics, University of New Mexico
Jeff Mielke, Associate Professor, North Carolina State University
Christopher Potts, Associate Professor, Standford University
Special Session: Fieldwork Methodology
The special session will examine issues in fieldwork methodology. We welcome papers focusing on innovative fieldwork methods, as well as descriptions and/or theoretical work resulting from innovative fieldwork methods.
Shobhana Chelliah, Professor of Linguistics, University of North Texas
Kofi Yakpo, Assistant Professor, The University of Hong Kong
Abstract SubmissionGuidelines
Authors may maximally submit one single-authored and one co-authored abstract. Abstracts, including title, data, and examples, must fit onto one page with 1” margins and 12pt font. References may be included on a second page. Omit names or phrasing that would otherwise reveal author identity. Surname-year citations of one’s own work are acceptable.All abstracts must be submitted electronically as a .pdf file to EasyChair: https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=bls41.There you can either set up a new account or log in as an author. Click the New Submission linkin the toolbar at the top and follow the instructions on the page. Please upload your abstract in pdf 1format, observing length requirements stated above. In the keywords field, please indicate at least one topic corresponding to the linguistic subfield(s) of greatest relevance to your abstract. All submissions will be anonymized for review.All abstracts are due by Friday, October 31, 2014 at 11:59pm. Email correspondence concerning abstract submissions to bls submissions@berkeley.edu. Address general correspondences to bls@berkeley.edu.
Yangsook Park gave a talk last April at GLOW 37 on Korean “caki” which those who where unable to view, now can. It’s here: http://www.glow37.org/videos/park/
