Conferences and Workshops

Upcoming Events

Linguistics seminar series

The first seminar will be held on the 9th of March, where Dr Mark Harvey
will present, 'Cultural diffusion in Aboriginal Australia'.

Time: Monday 4pm-5pm
Location: McMullin MCLG59

The semester 1 timetable for the Linguistics Seminar Series is now available

Download timetable now (PDF, 32K)

Past Events

Directions in Oceanic Research (DOR)

Date: 9-11 December 2008

Meeting Description

In recent years research attention has to some extent moved away from Oceanic languages, towards eastern Indonesia and Formosa in Austronesian, and towards Papuan. While these are significant areas for research, this trend raises questions about the extent to which Oceanic retains continuing significance for wider linguistic research.
This conference explores the place of Oceanic language research in the wider agenda of linguistics by focusing on two themes. One is concerned with aspects of Oceanic, from broad issues in Oceanic grammar to specific phenomena in individual languages, that hold continuing significance in informing a wider understanding of language. The second theme relates to the interaction and integration of successive layers of linguistic research in investigating Oceanic, particularly the core layers of documentation, description, typology and formal theory.

The interaction and successful integration of these layers is crucial to linguistics’ core research agenda of modelling the language faculty. Modelling language is the function of formal theory, but to successfully do so, formal theory depends on thorough descriptions of individual languages and broadly based typologies of phenomena to model. Typology in turn also depends on detailed descriptions, while descriptive linguistics depends on adequate documentation. These four successive layers of research activity are interdependent and each essential to the overall research program. This conference explores the interaction and integration of multiple layers in investigating Oceanic.

To address these themes the conference brings together key scholars representing each of these core layers of research within Oceanic.

Invited speakers

 Juliette Blevins                      Max Plank Institute, Leipzig     Phonological Theory
 Frantisek Lichtenberk          Auckland                                   Description
 Diane Massam                     Toronto                                       Syntactic theory
 Claire Moyse-Faurie            LACITO-CNRS, Paris                Typology
 Nick Thieberger                    Hawai’i                                       Documentation
 René van den Berg              SIL PNG                                     Integrating research

Call for papers

 

Abstracts are invited for 30 minute talks (20 minute presentations + 10 minute discussion) on any topic relating to Oceanic, in the following overlapping areas:

  • The interaction and integration of multiple layers of linguistic research in the field of Oceanic languages.
  • Aspects of Oceanic languages with continuing wider significance.

We welcome papers in one or more of the following areas, particularly those integrating more than one area:

  • documentation;
  • description;
  • typology;
  • formal theory.

We also welcome papers relating to the wider significance of Oceanic in other subdisciplines, including:

  • language change;
  • language and prehistory;
  • language, culture and cognition;
  • anthropological linguistics;
  • language endangerment;
  • language maintenance;
  • language acquisition.

Abstracts should not exceed one A4 page with a 2.5cm margin on each side and in 12 pt. Times New Roman font, with one additional page for data and references. IPA data should use Doulos SIL font if possible.

 

Abstracts should be submitted in two versions. One version should be in Word, consisting of the title, followed on separate lines by the author(s) name(s), affiliation(s), and email contacts. The second version should be fully anonymized, and submitted preferably as a pdf, or in Word.

 

All abstracts should be sent as email attachments to oceanic.conference@newcastle.edu.au

Submission deadline is Friday 15 August.

Registration

Registration details will be announced in due course. Registration will be A$100, or A$50 for students/unwaged.

Venue: University of Newcastle, Central Coast Campus 

Contact: Dr Bill Palmer (Director)

Meeting email: oceanic.conference@newcastle.edu.au