<OT> Call for posters: Workshop on Variation, Gradience and Frequency in Phonology

[Rutgers Optimality Archive]

Call for posters: Workshop on Variation, Gradience and Frequency in
Phonology
Linguistic Field(s): Phonology; Variation
Date: 6-8 July, 2007
Location: Stanford University, Stanford, CA, U.S.A.
Contact Persons: Arto Anttila & Lauren Hall-Lew
Meeting email: variation07 at gmail.com
Web Site:
http://www.stanford.edu/dept/linguistics/linginst/nsf-workshop/workshop-july-2007.html

Workshop on Variation, Gradience and Frequency in Phonology

Call for posters

Abstract deadline: April 30, 2007

Workshop description:

This three-day workshop on Variation, Gradience, and Frequency in Phonology
will run concurrently with the 2007 Linguistic Institute at Stanford
University in July 2007. The goal is to facilitate the collaboration among
phonologists seeking unified theoretical explanations for qualitative and
quantitative patterns in phonology. The workshop will focus on three main
topics:

- Phonological variation
- Gradient phonotactics
- Lexical frequency effects

Phonology studies the sound patterns of human languages. Sound patterns
sometimes emerge as quantitative tendencies and preferences. This can be
illustrated by the following three examples. First, in American English,
word-final /t/ is variably deleted, more often before consonants ("west
side") than before vowels ("west end"). Second, some sound combinations
make better words than others. This can be seen in the dictionary where
some combinations are statistically overrepresented, others
underrepresented, as well as in experiments where subjects judge some
nonsense words to sound more natural than others ("stin" > "smy" >
"bzharsk"). Third, word frequency influences phonological patterns. The
low-frequency word "exploit" has initial stress as a noun, final stress as
a verb, whereas the high-frequency word "express" has final stress under
both readings.

Phonological theory has traditionally focused on qualitative patterns.
Quantitative phenomena, such as variation, gradient phonotactics and
lexical frequency effects, have not figured prominently in theoretical
discussion. This is changing. Quantitative studies are becoming common,
partly because of new methodological developments (annotated corpora,
sociolinguistic databases, searchable dialect archives, on-line
dictionaries, experimental psycholinguistic data, new computational tools),
and partly because of new theoretical developments. This has broadened the
empirical base of phonology and is likely to lead to new discoveries and
connections to neighboring fields of inquiry.

Speakers:

Adam Albright (MIT)
Arto Anttila (Stanford University)
Paul Boersma (University of Amsterdam)
Andries Coetzee (University of Michigan)
Gregory Guy (New York University)
Michael Hammond (University of Arizona)
Bruce Hayes (UCLA)
Dan Jurafsky (Stanford University)
Yoonjung Kang (University of Toronto)
Paul Kiparsky (Stanford University)
James Myers (National Chung Cheng University)
Marc van Oostendorp (Meertens Institute)
Joe Pater (University of Massachusetts, Amherst)
Betty Phillips (Indiana State University)
Kie Zuraw (UCLA)

Abstract Guidelines:

We are soliciting abstracts for posters relevant to any of the topics
mentioned above. Abstracts should be at most one page long on a letter size
or A4 sheet with one-inch margins and typed in at least 12 point font. An
optional second page may be used for data, charts, and references.
Abstracts should be submitted electronically in Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) format
to <variation07 at gmail.com>. The author(s) of the abstract should not be
identified in the abstract itself. The body of the submission message
should include the title of the abstract, the name(s) of the author(s),
the(ir) affiliation(s), and e-mail address(es). Submissions are limited to
one individual and one joint abstract per author, or two joint abstracts
per author.

Deadline for submission: April 30, 2007. The workshop program will be
announced in early May.

Important dates:

April 30: Poster abstracts due (send to: variation07 at gmail.com)
Early May: Notification of acceptance
July 6-8: Workshop

More information about the workshop, including the final program, will be
posted on the workshop's website in due course:

http://www.stanford.edu/dept/linguistics/linginst/nsf-workshop/workshop-july-2007.html

For any questions about the workshop, please email your queries to either of
the organizers:

Arto Anttila or Lauren Hall-Lew
variation07 at gmail.com