Fitigra :: Second Circular and Call for Papers

FROM IDEATIONAL TO INTERPERSONAL: PERSPECTIVES FROM GRAMMATICALIZATION

Leuven, 10-12 February 2005

EXTENSION OF DEADLINE

Please note that the deadline for submission of abstracts has been extended to November 10, 2004.

CONVENORS

Hubert Cuyckens (Functional Linguistics Research Group, University of Leuven)
Kristin Davidse (Functional Linguistics Research Group, University of Leuven)
Anne-Marie Simon-Vandenbergen (English Department, University of Ghent)

MEETING DESCRIPTION

Since the 1980s, grammaticalization has taken up an important place in the research of linguists. Following Traugott, grammaticalization can be described as a robust tendency whereby “lexical items and constructions come in certain linguistic contexts to serve grammatical functions or grammatical items develop new grammatical functions.” Importantly, grammaticalization involves “a subset of crosslinguistically recurring changes that involve correlations across time between semantic, morphosyntactic (and sometimes also) phonological changes.” (Elizabeth C. Traugott, 2001. “Legitimate counterexamples to unidirectionality”).

As is well known, one tradition in grammaticalization studies has focused on explorations in morphosyntactic change, building on Lehmann’s ([1982] 1995) seminal study on processes and parameters of grammaticalization. This type of grammaticalization mainly focuses on the change of free syntactic units into highly constrained morphemes with a grammatical function. A more recent tradition, initiated by Traugott (1982) and elaborated, e.g., in Traugott (1989, 1995, 1996), focuses on semantic-pragmatic change in grammaticalization. Based on Halliday and Hasan’s (1976) proposal that there are three functional domains of language, the ideational, the textual, and the interpersonal, she has proposed that semantic change in grammaticalization often proceeds along the following cline:
Propositional > textual > expressive.
This cline has been reformulated as three tendencies which involve (increasing) pragmatic strengthening, and in which the tendency towards expressiveness/subjectivity is the most prominent.

The purpose of this conference is to bring together papers that examine various aspects of grammaticalization within the framework of the clines ideational > textual > interpersonal and/or propositional > textual > expressive. As such, we welcome contributions addressing (by now) familiar issues in grammaticalization such as:

• auxiliarization, the development of discourse markers, etc.
• the importance of pragmatic strengthening/invited inferencing/subjectification, as they occur in the cognitive-functional context of speaker-hearer interaction.

Furthermore, we encourage contributions which, within the framework outlined above, take up newer issue that may necessitate a broader definition of grammaticalization. These include:

• the study of shifts such as those from head to modifier (Denison 2002) or modifier to intensifier (Adamson 2000) in the NP, a grammatical environment which has hitherto been relatively neglected in grammaticalization theory;
• the interplay between grammaticalization and lexicalization, with the latter understood as the formation of a new lexical item by the combination of two formerly distinct lexical items (Fischer & Rosenbach 2000; Lehmann 2002; Van der Auwera 2002 )
• the question whether grammaticalization processes can be predicted to follow certain structurally determined paths, such as center-to-periphery directionality in the NP (Rijkhoff 2002);
• the role played in the lexicogrammatical re-organization accompanying grammaticalization by syntagmatic relations between lexical items such as collocation (Sinclair 1991), semantic feature copying (Bublitz 1996), semantic prosody (Stubbs 1995), and pragmatic feature copying.

Finally, we also seek contributions that highlight the importance of such usage-based factors as frequency and entrenchment for grammaticalization, and that, in general, give attention to quantitative data in support of grammaticalization processes.

GUEST SPEAKERS

Teresa Fanego (University of Santiago de Compostela), Olga Fischer (University of Amsterdam), Manfred Krug (Freiburg University), and Elizabeth Closs Traugott (Stanford University) have confirmed their participation as keynote speakers.

CALL FOR PAPERS

Papers are invited on the aspects of grammaticalization within the framework outlined above. Presentations will be 20 minutes with 10 minutes question time.

Abstracts should be between 400 and 500 words (exclusive of references) and should state research questions, approach, method, data and (expected) results. Abstracts will be reviewed anonymously.

Abstracts should be submitted as Word or as .RTF files. More information on how to submit abstracts can be found under ‘Submit abstract’.

The deadline for the submission of abstracts is 10 November 2004 (extended deadline). Notification of acceptance will be given by 15 November 2004.

PUBLICATION OF PAPERS

It is the organizers’ intention to publish a selection of the conference papers.

REGISTRATION

In order to register for this conference, please complete the registration form.

The early registration fee is 50 Euros. For participants registering after January 20, 2005, the registration fee will be 120 Euros. This fee should be paid in cash on site; unfortunately, we will not be able to accept credit card payments or checks.

ACCOMMODATION

We have reserved blocks of rooms from 9 February until 13 February 2005 at selected Leuven hotels, at reduced conference rates. For detailed information on each of these hotels, see the Accommodation page. In order to obtain these conference rates, conference participants need to make hotel room reservations directly with the hotels. Most hotels require a credit card number and expiry date when booking the room.

The reserved blocks of rooms will be released anywhere in between December 1, 2004 and January 11, 2005 (please check individual hotel information at the Accommodation page). After the release date, rooms can still be booked at each of these hotels, but will be subject to availability.

Payment is by conference participants upon departure.

As we need to draw up guest lists for each of the hotels, we would be grateful if you let us know: (i) in which hotel you booked accommodation; (ii) your check-in date and check-out date. Please send this information to fitigra@arts.kuleuven.ac.be.

SOCIAL PROGRAMME

At the end of the first conference day (February 10), all participants are invited to a reception at the Faculty Club, which is the conference venue for the 2nd and 3rd day of the conference. Please inform us by February 1, 2005 whether you will attend the reception or not by sending an email to fitigra@arts.kuleuven.ac.be.

The conference dinner will be organized on the evening of February 11. The cost of the conference dinner will come to approximately 40 Euros per person (four-course dinner, including wine, coffee/tea, water). Please inform us by February 1, 2005 whether you will attend the conference dinner or not by sending an email to fitigra@arts.kuleuven.ac.be. Early booking for the conference dinner is recommended as the seating capacity will be limited to 45. Payment of the conference dinner is on site in cash.