Schedule
Friday May 8th
- 8:30-9:15 Breakfast
- 9:15-9:45 Opening Remarks
Session 1: Syntax
When can we say that a language “has syntax”? What sorts of evidence do we need? Can a language be “syntactic” in certain aspects but not in others?
- 9:45-10:15 Languages with less than full syntax, Ray Jackendoff
- 10:15-10:45 Where does meaning come from? Rabia Ergin
- 10:45-11:15 Where does predication come from? Irit Meir
- 11:15-11:45 Break
- 11:45-12:45 Discussion led by Mark Aronoff
- 12:45-1:45 Lunch
Session 2: Emergence of Linguistic Structure
What ingredients do you need to ‘start’ a language? What are the routes along which emerging languages can develop? Which non-linguistic elements can language draw from in its course of development?
- 1:45-2:15 Conventionalization of Pointing & Gestural Motion Descriptors in a Chatino Speech Ecology, Lynn Y-S Hou & Kate Mesh
- 2:15-2:45 Iconicity and phonological structure in language emergence, Naomi Caselli
- 2:45-3:15 Word structure in sign languages, Carol Padden
- 3:15-3:30 Break
- 3:30-4:30 Discussion led by Wendy Sandler
Saturday May 9th
- 9:00-9:45 Breakfast
Session 3: Emergence of Linguistic Structure and Social Interaction
What are the routes along which emerging languages can develop? Is there a single uniform progression, or are there multiple fronts on which elaboration can proceed (e.g. lexicon, phonology, syntax, morphology)? How do different types of social interactions influence the emergence of linguistic structure?
- 9:45-10:15 Watching language grow in the manual modality: Nominals, Predicates, and Handshapes, Susan Goldin-Meadow
- 10:15-10:45 The role of vertical social contact in language emergence: Evidence from Nicaraguan Sign Language, Ann Senghas
- 10:45-11:15 Unexpected routes to language: Evidence from child and adult homesign systems, Marie Coppola
- 11:15-11:30 Break
- 11:30-12:30 Discussion led by Richard Meier
- 12:30-1:00 Concluding remarks
- 1:00-2:00 Lunch
Workshop Organizers
Irit Meir
Ray Jackendoff
Rabia Ergin
Naomi Caselli
Ray Jackendoff
Rabia Ergin
Naomi Caselli