Variation in Language Acquisition (ViLA 2012)

Despite repeated calls for in-depth research the acquisition of sociolinguistic variation remains to be an under-investigated topic both in sociolinguistics and in language acquisition research. Yet several reasons can be given why children, adolescents and L2-learners are a worthwhile topic of investigation: first, the ability to perceive and employ variation in speech is an integral part of people’s linguistic competence, and the field of language acquisition cannot afford to study the acquisition process in a sociolinguistic vacuum. In addition, the process of language transmission has been quoted for more than a century as a potential cause of language change. For instance, processes of dialect levelling, loss and koinèisation are believed to take place primarily in children and adolescents, whereas second language acquisition is believed to underlie change through language contact. Finally, as do acquisition processes in general, the acquisition of sociolinguistic variation might cast over issues relating to the relationship between language and mind, including the language learning process and the nature of grammatical knowledge.

The present workshop addresses sociolinguistic variation both in first and second/foreign languages. We hope to bring together scholars working on the acquisition of variation in different languages, in order to engage in cross-linguistic comparison and set a research agenda for the near future.

Date

The following invited speakers have confirmed their participation:

Jean-Pierre Chevrot (Grenoble)
Paul Kerswill (Lancaster)

Venue:

The workshop will take place in Münster, in the "Haus der Niederlande" (i.e. in the historical centre of the city). Anyone in need of accommodation for the night may contact the organizers (gunther.devogelaeruni-muenster.de)

Call for Papers:

We welcome papers dealing with, but not restricted to, the following topics:

• The development of sociolinguistic monitoring and/or the awareness of language variation, including attitudes towards variation and/or different varieties
• Acquisition and processes of language change (both 'system-internal' change and change through contact, including dialect levelling, koinèisation, and creolization)
• Sociolinguistic variation and grammatical models (rule-based, item-based, etc.; including models of language learning)
• Style shifting and accommodation in children, adolescents and adult language learners
• The socio-pragmatic circumstances in which variation is acquired, including the effect of the linguistic repertoire within a speech community (diglossia vs. diaglossia), the role of caregivers vis-à-vis the peer group, etc.
• Detecting speech disorders in children acquiring non-standard varieties

To participate, send your one-page abstract to gunther.devogelaeruni-muenster.de and matthias.katerbowstaff.uni-marburg.de, to arrive no later than October 15, 2011. Notification of acceptance will be sent out before October 31.

Organizers:

Gunther De Vogelaer (Münster)
Matthias Katerbow (Marburg)

Scientific Committee:

Leonie Cornips (Meertens Institute/Maastricht)
Andrea Ender (British Columbia)
Anna Ghimenton (Fribourg)
Joachim Herrgen (Marburg)
Klaus-Michael Köpcke (Münster)
Jürgen Macha (Münster)
Karen Miller (Penn State)
Kathy Rys (Antwerp)
Erik Schleef (Manchester)
Marit Westergaard (Tromsø)

Kontakt

Matthias Katerbow
Forschungszentrum Deutscher Sprachatlas
Hermann-Jacobsohn-Weg 3
35032 Marburg
Tel.: 06421-2824408
E-Mail