Diachronic Generative Syntax Conference XIII: Support for meeting and associated workshop

University Of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia PA

Investigators

Abstract

This grant supports a workshop and conference in the annual international series "Conference on Diachronic Generative Syntax" (DIGS). Researchers in the field of diachronic syntax study language change from three perspectives: Firstly, they attempt to specify the grammatical properties of languages spoken in the past, combining knowledge of grammatical theory gleaned from work on modern languages with the study of historical materials. Secondly, they aim to develop an understanding of the conditions under which languages change rather than remaining stable. Both language contact and instabilities in language transmission are investigated in this regard. Finally, researchers study the time course of language change, using statistical techniques to track changes over time in the usage frequencies of grammatical elements. The time course of change can then be modeled mathematically, using techniques from epidemiology and population biology. This is the thirteenth meeting of DIGS Conference, whose venue alternates between the eastern and western hemispheres. This year's meeting is distinguished from others by the addition of a pre-conference workshop on the use of syntactically annotated corpora for historical research. The growing use of highly annotated corpora in diachronic syntax is a part of an ongoing revolution in the sciences of language made possible by modern computational technology and techniques of language engineering. DIGS meetings feature plenary addresses by the most distinguished scholars in the field of language history and presentations by established researchers and students. In addition, there is a poster session for the best papers that cannot be accommodated in main conference sessions. Funds are included in the grant budget to subsidize travel to the conference by student presenters.