The first meeting of our network on the topic “Two kinds of definites” will take place on 29th June – 1st July 2022 at the Humboldt University in Berlin (Beratungsraum 2249a, Unter den Linden 6).
See recommended restaurants for lunch.
Programme Outline
DAY 1: WEDNESDAY, JUNE 29, 2022
9:00 – Welcome introduction
9:15 – Invited talk: “Exploring Definiteness Contrasts Experimentally” — Florian Schwarz (Guest Expert, University of Pennsylvania)
10:15 – Coffee Break
10:45 – Talks by Network Members
12:15 – Lunch Break
13:45 – Talks by Network Members
15:15 – Coffee Break
15:45 – Talk by Network Member
16:30 – Business Meeting
DAY 2: THURSDAY, JUNE 30, 2022
9:00 – Opening remarks
9:15 – Invited talk: “What are the building blocks of definiteness? Evidence from a language in which strong definites don’t exist and demonstratives are weak” — Lisa Mathewson (Guest Expert, University of British Columbia)
10:15 – Coffee Break
10:45 – Talks by Network Members
12:15 – Lunch Break
13:45 – Talks by Network Members
15:15 – Coffee Break
15:45 – Talk by Network Members
19:00 – Dinner at Teehaus (Altonaerstrasse 2, 10557 Berlin, menu English, menu German)
DAY 3: FRIDAY, JULY 1, 2022
9:00 – Introduction to Roundtable Discussions
9:15 – Roundtable 1: “Syntax/compositional semantics of definite DPs”
Chair: Radek Šimík (Network Member, Charles University Prague)
10:15 – Coffee Break
10:45 – Roundtable 2: The notions of familiarity and uniqueness
Chair: Mira Grubic (Network Member/Organizer, University of Potsdam)
12:15 – Lunch Break + group work
14:00 – Roundtable 3: “Competition between determiners”
Chair: Malte Zimmermann (Network Member, University of Potsdam)
15:00 – Coffee Break
15:30 – Roundtable 4: “ Differences between determiner systems”
Chair: Laura Becker (Network Member, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg)
16:30 – Closing remarks
SCHEDULE OF TALKS
| DAY 1: JUNE 29, 2022 | DAY 2: JUNE 30, 2022 | |
| 9:00-9:15 | Welcome introduction | Opening remarks |
| 9:15-10:15 | Florian Schwarz Exploring Definiteness Contrasts Experimentally Chair: Reggie Duah | Lisa Matthewson What are the building blocks of definiteness? Evidence from a language in which strong definites don’t exist and demonstratives are weak Chair: Agata Renans |
| 10:15-10:45 | coffee break | coffee break |
| Chair: Malte Zimmermann | Chair: Hasiyatu Abubakari | |
| 10:45-11:30 | Nadine Bade Crosslinguistic variation in the competition between definites and indefinites | Cornelia Ebert & Stefan Hinterwimmer A comparison of deictic and anaphoric uses of definite descriptions and complex demonstratives in German |
| 11:30-12:15 | Mira Grubic The expression of definiteness in Ngamo (West Chadic) | Alexandra Simonenko The semantics of the distal/proximal features and the diachronic competition between demonstrative and strong definite interpretations |
| 12:15-13:45 | lunch break | lunch break |
| Chair: Akua Campbell | Chair: Nadine Bade | |
| 13:45-14:30 | Relative clauses without relative pronouns: on the role of indices in relative clause formation | Radek Simik A formal account of affective and recognitional demonstratives |
| 14:30-15:15 | Hasiyatu Abubakari ‘The Determiner ‘la’ in selected domains in Kusaal and sister Mabia languages’ | Laura Becker How many types of definites? Evidence from typology |
| 15:15-15:45 | coffee break | coffee break |
| Chair: Yvonne Agbetsoamedo | Chair: Stefan Hinterwimmer | |
| 15:45-16:30 | Augustina Owusu Definiteness across categories | Ljudmila Geist Uniqueness definites as bare NPs in German |
| 16:30-17:15 | Business Meeting | Mareike Philipp The bare noun in Akan |
ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSIONS
| 9:15-10:15 | Roundtable 1: Syntax/compositional semantics of definite DPs (including interaction with relative clauses) Chair: Radek Šimík Discussants: Sampson Korsah, Akua Campbell, Hasiyatu Abubakari |
| 10:15-10:45 | break |
| 10:45-11:45 | Roundtable 2: The notions of familiarity and uniqueness (including interaction with indefiniteness) Chair: Mira Grubic Discussants: Reggie Duah, Agata Renans |
| 11:45-12:45 | Lunch meeting |
| 12:45-13:45 | Roundtable 3: Competition between determiners (including the role of information structure / topicality) Chair: Malte Zimmermann Discussants: Stefan Hinterwimmer, Alexandra Simonenko |
| 13:45-14:15 | break |
| 14:15-15:15 | Roundtable 4: Differences between determiner systems Chair: Laura Becker Discussants: Imke Driemel + group work at the end till 16:30 |