PROGRAM
The 39th annual meeting of the Berkeley Linguistics Society will be held at the University of California, Berkeley on FEBRUARY 16-17, 2013. The meeting will comprise a Special Session, two Parasessions, and a General Session.
Session information and invited speakers are provided below. A full list of scheduled talks for BLS 39, all short abstracts, and other potentially useful information can be found in the conference program. (Past programs can be viewed here.)
SPECIAL SESSION: SPACE AND DIRECTIONALITY IN LANGUAGE
The BLS 39 special session invites papers pertaining to all aspects of space and directionality in language, a phenomenon that concerns linguists and researchers in many related fields. We invite submissions form all linguistic subfields and theoretical frameworks, and we strongly encourage interdisciplinary work spanning two or more disciplines, such as anthropology and psychology.
The special session aims to investigate the encoding of space and directionality in signed and spoken languages, as well as the conceptualization and partitioning of these dimensions. Relevant topics for papers include but are not limited to spatial categorization, gesture, deixis and indexicality, directional morphology, and sound symbolism.
Invited Special Session Speakers
Jürgen Bohnemeyer, University at Buffalo
Frames of reference in language, culture, and cognition: The Mesoamerican evidence
[abstract]
Eve Danziger, University of Virginia
Following Our Noses: Frames of Reference in and out of Space
[abstract]
Joost Zwarts, Utrecht University
Ways of going 'back': A case study in direction
[abstract]
PARASESSION: LANGUAGES OF SOUTHEAST ASIA
This parasession is dedicated to papers on the languages of Southeastern Asia, including but not limited to languages of the Austroasiatic, Austronesian, Hmong-Mien, Tai-Kadai, and Tibeto-Burman families. We welcome papers from diverse theoretical frameworks and sub-fields of linguistics.
Invited Parasession Speakers
Marc Brunelle, University of Ottawa Tone typology and contact-driven change in Mainland Southeast Asia[abstract] Peter Jenks, University of California, Berkeley
Quantifier Float and Scope in Thai
[abstract]
PARASESSION: HUMAN PREHISTORY THROUGH LINGUISTICS
This parasession explores new approaches to understanding the prehistoric distribution of humans, their population movements, and their ways of life through application of theoretical linguistics, especially data-intensive approaches that make use of computational power. Relevant topics for papers include but are not limited to phylogenetic and comparative-method studies in historical linguistics, explorations of phonological and morphosyntactic typology in physical space, and linguistic paleontology.
Invited Parasession Speaker
Russell Gray, University of Auckland
What does evolutionary biology have to offer historical linguistics?
[abstract]
GENERAL SESSION
The General Session covers all areas of linguistic research. A wide variety of presentations given from various theoretical frameworks are scheduled.