The Tension between Language Description and Language Typology        

Workshop at the 28th annual meeting of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Sprachwissenschaft (DGfS)

Bielefeld, 22-24 February 2006

Organized by

• Walter Bisang (Universität Mainz)
• Martin Haspelmath (Max-Planck-Institut für evolutionäre Anthropologie)

Theme

Typological insights about variation and invariance in linguistic structures depend on the systematic exploitation of descriptions of particular languages, many of which are now endangered. Language-particular grammars in turn take recourse to typologically-based abstractions. There is thus a mutual interaction between description and typology, which is, however, not without its problems. Typologists complain that descriptive grammars often fail to provide the information that happens to interest them, while grammar authors criticize typologists for ignoring language-internal generalizations. This tension is unfortunately approached too rarely in a constructive manner, but it is of crucial importance for progress in linguistics, since new insights can grow primarily at the interface of detailed language-particular analysis and broader theories. Despite the difficulties, both language description and language typology have made enormous progress over the last two decades by profiting from each other.
This workshop is intended both for descriptive linguists and for typologists. The organizers expect that the general issue will be considered in light of concrete (possibly even highly specific) phenomena. Talks on all levels of language structure are welcome (phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics).

DGfS Conference

Schedule (workshop talks in blue, plenary events in green)

Further information

Martin Haspelmath
Max-Planck-Institut für evolutionäre Anthropologie
Deutscher Platz 6
D-04103 Leipzig
Tel./Fax: +49-341-3550 307/3550 333
E-mail: haspelmath at eva.mpg.de