Andries Coetzee presented a keynote address at NAPhC  5 (The 5th North American Phonology Conference) at Concordia in Montreal.

Abstract

Many phonological processes apply variably. The likelihood of a variable process applying is determined by a complex interaction between both grammatical and extra-grammatical factors. Over the past decade, several formal models of phonological variation have been developed. These models are quite successful at accounting for the role that the grammatical factors play in phonological variation. However, they are purely grammatical and do not account for the potential influence of extra-grammatical factors on the application of variable processes. Extra-grammatical influences are often equated with performance factors, and if the goal of linguistics is to account for the competence of the language user, then these extra-grammatical factors fall outside the domain of linguistics.

In this paper, I argue for a broader understanding of linguistic competence, where it is taken to encompass all those factors that determine linguistic performance and that that are consciously or subconsciously under the control of the language user. This includes both grammatical and some extra-grammatical factors. A sufficient model of the linguistic competence of the language user therefore needs to incorporate both grammatical and extra-grammatical competence.

By reviewing the literature on English  t/d-deletion I demonstrate that this process is influenced by both grammatical and extra-grammatical factors, and that the language user has at least subconscious control over both of these. I then propose a formal model of the linguistic competence of the language user that integrates both of these components of linguistic competence in the framework of Harmonic Grammar.

Mike Marlo (now visiting assistant professor at UCLA) also presented a talk at the conference. The title of his talk was:  “Post-syntactic spell-out and post-syntactic phonology: evidence from Bantu”.

Ian Catford, Professor Emeritus of Linguistics and Phonetics, and his daughter Lorna visited the department May 6. He visited his office, the Catford library and conference room, and the sound lab.

The Catford lectures, a series of lectures given on the occasion of Professor Catford’s retirement, are available for streaming viewing.

Wilfredo Valentin-Marquez has accepted a tenure-track job in the Department of Foreign Languages at Millersville University in Lancaster, PA.

Wilfredo completed his degree in 2007 in the joint Linguistics-Romance Languages program.

Congratulations, Wilfredo!!

Miki Obata and Sam Epstein presented their talk, Deducing improper movement from phase based C-to-T phi transfer, at the 27th annual meeting of the West Coast Conference on Formal Linguistics, held at UCLA May 16-18.

Abstract

We seek to reveal and address empirical and theoretical consequences stemming from
Chomsky’s (2005:OP) C-to-T phi-feature inheritance (hereon CTI) analysis. We claim: [1] Simultaneousvattraction as a consequence of CTI “splits” the features on a wh-phrase: [Case]/[Phi] moves to Spec-T andv[Q] to Spec-C, [2] [1] makes it possible to rule out improper movement (IM) without appealing to the activity condition (see Nevins 2005 for arguments against activity and for a different approach to IM).

We argue that contra standard assumptions, IM is not a unified phenomenon but is
correctly classified into two distinct types: Case on a moving element is valued after A’-movement in (6) and before A’-movement in (7). We demonstrate that both types of IM are explanatorily excluded under the phase-based approach and it is especially the latter case that empirically supports the feature split system presented above. The derivation of (7) is shown in (8). When C and T each attract “who1″ simultaneously (→8b), the features on “who1″ are split: [Q] goes to Spec-C and [phi]/[Case] goes to Spec-T In the matrix clause (→8c), assuming PIC, only (the edge) “who3″ in the embedded Spec-C is visible to matrix C-T probing. Notice that “who3″ has only [Q], not [Phi] by virtue of feature split, so that “who3″ is not an appropriate (matching) goal for the probing matrix T precisely because “who3” lacks [phi]. In contrast, the matrix C can attract “who3″ but [uPhi] on matrix T is never valued, causing crash. This is a
direct result of the CTI, coupled with OP under which C and T separately attract different featural subsets, simultaneously from the ‘same’ launch site. The absence of [phi] on “who3″ makes it impossible for “who3″ to improperly move (“back”) into an A-position, (Spec-T). The other type of IM (6) is also excluded straightforwardly: when the derivation reaches the embedded CP in (6), the transferred TP includes unvalued [uCase] on “who1/2″ causing crash.

Carmel O’Shannessy gave a keynote address at the 16th annual Symposium about Language and Society - Austin, held at the University of Texas Austin,  April 11-13.

Abstract:

A new mixed language, Light Warlpiri, has emerged in a remote community in northern Australia. It is spoken by children and young adults in the multilingual community of Lajamanu and has developed within the last 30 years. Most verbs and the verbal morphology are from Aboriginal English or Kriol (AE/Kriol), while most nominal morphology is from Lajamanu Warlpiri (the variety of Warlpiri spoken in Lajamanu community). Nouns are drawn from both types of source language. An innovative auxiliary system has developed which draws on, but is not the same as, the systems in the source languages. But the system for indicating grammatical functions draws directly on the two typologically different source languages. Lajamanu Warlpiri uses case-marking in an ergative-absolutive system while AE/Kriol uses word order (SVO) in a nominative-accusative system. In Light Warlpiri these two systems meet.

The language ecology in the community is complex, and code-switching between languages is very common. Children growing up in the community learn the new language, Light Warlpiri, as their primary language, and also learn Lajamanu Warlpiri in their early years. Their learning situation raises the question of how they deal with very mixed input - to what extent do they show adult-like variation and patterning in the grammatical systems of each language? The study uses production and comprehension data to examine the children’s use of word order and ergative case-marking in each language.

Robin Queen participated in the Michigan Road Scholars Program.  The Michigan Road Scholars Tour for faculty at the University of Michigan is a five-day traveling seminar on the State of Michigan. This educational tour exposes participants to the state’s economy, government and politics, culture, educational systems, health and social issues, history, and geography.

Designed to increase mutual knowledge and understanding between the university and the people and communities of the state,the tour introduces participants to the places the majority of our students call home, encourages university service to the public, and suggests ways faculty can help address state issues through research, scholarship and creative activity. In addition the experience is expected to develop beneficial ties and promote interdisciplinary discussion among the touring faculty.

This year’s tour visited sites in Detroit, Flint, Lansing, Battle Creek, Grand Rapids, Traverse City, Leeland, Peshawbestown, Pellston, Sault St.  Marie and Kencheloe.

The Road Scholar participants with Lt. Governor, John Cherry

Lauren Friedman’s Honors Thesis received the Virginia Voss award from the Honors Program and the Matt Alexander Prize from the Linguistics Department due to its outstanding quality.

The thesis, entitled “The loss of Old English Null Expletive hit/it“, explores the loss of the null expletive it, or rather the changes that led to the requirement of an overt expletive hit/it in constructions which lack an overt thematic subject in Spec, IP of a clause. From the descriptions and analyses of OE considered in this study, along with an analysis of EPP (Extended Projection Principle) properties in OE (Alexiadou & Anagnostopoulou 1998, Holmberg 2005, Jaeggli & Safir 1989), the thesis argues that OE is in stage 3: null true expletive it is possible across paradigms while null thematic and null quasi-arguments are restricted in use.  Additionally, I contend that despite the possibility for null subjects in OE, the EPP is checked is checked by Move XP (i.e. insertion of an overt category in the subject [Spec, IP] position).

Lauren has been an active member of the department and the undergraduate club over the last several years. She leaves the University of Michigan to attend graduate school in Linguistics at the University of Pennsylvania.

Congratulations and good luck, Lauren!

Susannah Levi, who has been the Language Learning Assistant Professor in Phonetics this year, begins her new position as Assistant Professor of Phonetics in the Dept. of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology at New York University.

Congratulations Susie!!

Natalia Kondroshova and Christopher Becker each presented work at the 17th meeting of Formal Approaches to Slavic Linguistics held at Yale May 9-11.

Natalia presented work on Licensing Modality in Infinitival Structures.

Christopher presented work on Case and Agreement Feature Uniformity.