Call for papers (New: Abstract deadline January 30 2012)


The aim of the workshop is to bring together contemporary research in linguistic questions surrounding modality. Modal expressions allow speakers to access possibilities different from their own and talk about what might be, could have been and should have happened (etc). Modality, traditionally a central topic in semantics, has undergone a recent revival in the literature. There is much current interest in modal topics, ranging from questions with philosophical flavors, such as ontology and logic, to questions addressing syntax, morphology, structural issues associated with modal interpretations, links to tense and aspect, new insights arising from data from little-studied languages, typological questions, links to discourse and pragmatics, and the role of subjectivity in the evaluation of modal expressions. The aim of this workshop is to bring together exciting research representative of current interests in modality, both in traditional as well as recent areas of study.

Invited speakers:
Sabine Iatridou (MIT)
Angelika Kratzer (UMass)
Lisa Matthewson (UBC)

We invite the submission of abstracts in a wide range of topics, including the ones listed above. We hope the workshop will provide a showcase for new work in the field, and help paint a picture of future developments. Publication options will be pursued if there is interest amongst authors.

Talks will be 30 minutes long, with 10 minutes for discussion. Abstracts should be at most two pages (including bibliography), font size 12, with one inch margins. Abstracts should be sent by email in pdf format to modality@uottawa.ca. Please use “abstract submission” as subject heading. The deadline for submissions is January 10. Notifications of acceptance will be sent out at the end of January.

Abstract deadline: January 30  2012  
Email for abstract submissions: modality@uottawa.ca
Notification of acceptance: February 10 2012

Workshop dates: April 20-21 2012

Location: Linguistics Department, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Organizing Committee: Ana Arregui, María Luisa Rivero, Andrés Salanova
Contact email: modality@uottawa.ca