Linguistic Symposium on Romance Languages

University Of Utah, Salt Lake City UT

Investigators

Abstract

The National Science Foundation will support the 34th annual Linguistic Symposium on Romance Languages, to be hosted by the University of Utah's Department of Linguistics, in Salt Lake City, Utah, on March 12-14, 2004. The symposium will provide a forum for the sharing and dissemination of cutting-edge scholarly research on theoretical Romance linguistics, and will foster collaboration between scholars with a variety of perspectives on the field. The conference will include a special parasession on "Laboratory Contributions to Romance Linguistics", facilitating intellectual exchange between theoretical and experimental scientists concerned with language in general, and the Romance languages in particular. A Public Outreach Lecture on the Spanish(es) of the Intermountain West will foster a deeper appreciation not only of the cultural and linguistic diversity of the region, but also of the cultural and scientific aspects of language, the nature and methods of scientific inquiry in general, and the potential roles and impacts of such inquiry in society. The symposium will thus provide an opportunity for non-linguists to learn about Romance Languages in North America generally, and about ethnic and linguistic issues of relevance to the Hispanic population of the Intermountain West in particular. Papers to be presented at the Linguistic Symposium on Romance Language (LSRL) will contribute to the general conceptual framework of generative grammar. The research presented will thus serve to further refine the proposed model of the human biological endowment for language, thereby better characterizing not only the similarities observed among all individuals and groups but also the differences that distinguish groups like the Romance languages. The publication of selected and refereed research from the symposium will ensure a broader impact on the fields of Romance and general theoretical linguistics. LSRL volumes serve as a vital resource for researchers of the Romance languages, and for those researching specific current issues in theoretical linguistics, no matter what their language(s) of specialization. The long tradition of volumes also provides a unique and valuable perspective on the fields of Romance scholarship and theoretical linguistic inquiry over more than three decades.