Author Archives: phonolist

Phonology position UC Berkeley

University of California, Berkeley
Department of Linguistics

Assistant Professor — Phonology — Linguistics
Expected start date: July 1, 2020

The Department of Linguistics at the University of California, Berkeley, has been authorized to make an appointment in Phonology. This position will be at the rank of assistant professor (tenure-track). Salary will be commensurate with experience. Duties will include undergraduate and graduate advising, teaching (up to four courses per year), supervision of student research, and development of a successful and original research program.

Applicants must have a broad intellectual engagement in linguistics and a research specialization in phonology. The department welcomes additional research interests or skills that will contribute to the intellectual life of a broad linguistics community (e.g. language family expertise, linguistic typology, phonetics, cognitive science, computational or statistical modeling, language documentation). Applicants must be able to teach general linguistics courses and courses at all levels in phonology, including seminars, and provide research mentoring.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are core values at UC Berkeley and in the Department of Linguistics. Our excellence can only be fully realized by faculty, students, and staff who share our commitment to these values. The successful candidate will submit a statement discussing how their research, teaching, service, and/or outreach activities will help the university advance equity and inclusion. We welcome applications from those who have had non-traditional career paths, have achieved excellence in careers outside academia, or have taken time off for family reasons.

Basic qualifications: Applicants must have received the PhD (or equivalent international degree), or be enrolled in a PhD or equivalent international degree-granting program, at the time of application.

Preferred qualifications: Completion of the PhD or equivalent international degree by the start date.

Applicants must arrange for 2-5 letters of recommendation to be submitted through the online application system. All letters will be treated as confidential per University of California policy and California state law. Please refer potential referees, including when letters are provided via a third party (i.e., dossier service or career center), to the UC Berkeley statement of confidentiality (http://apo.berkeley.edu/evalltr.html) prior to submitting their letters.

Please submit all materials electronically at https://aprecruit.berkeley.edu/apply/JPF02286. The deadline for applications is November 15, 2019; no application materials will be accepted after that date.

Questions can be sent to Paula Floro at lingmgr@berkeley.edu.

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age or protected veteran status. For the complete University of California nondiscrimination and affirmative action policy see: http://policy.ucop.edu/doc/4000376/NondiscrimAffirmAct

2020 BLS Workshop: Abstracts due Nov. 1

2020 Berkeley Linguistic Society Workshop
Febuary 7-8, 2020
 
“Phonological Representations:
At the Crossroads of Gradience and Categoricity”
Abstracts due: November 1, 2019
More information re the workshop and abstract submission here (and below):
 
The 2020 Workshop of the Berkeley Linguistics Society (BLSW 2020) will take place Friday through Saturday, February 7 – 8, 2020, on the UC Berkeley campus. The theme of this workshop is “Phonological Representations: At the Crossroads of Gradience and Categoricity.”

Describing the nature and behavior of the sounds of language is a central concern in linguistics. Topics such as categoricity vs. gradience, the information included in representations, and the place of abstraction in the larger linguistic system are central to many theoretical debates. This workshop aims to bring together different approaches to capturing the behavior of speech sounds by fostering discussion among researchers from diverse backgrounds and perspectives.

Invited Speakers:

Katie Drager (University of Hawai’i at M?noa)
Bruce Hayes (University of California, Los Angeles)
Stephanie Shih (University of Southern California)

Links:

Check our website for general information and updates concerning the conference (http://linguistics.berkeley.edu/bls/).
For questions, please email blsworkshop@berkeley.edu.

Abstracts
Submit Abstract
Meeting Location:
Berkeley, California
Contact Information:
Eric Wilbanks
blsworkshop@berkeley.edu
Meeting Dates:
Feb 7, 2020 to Feb 8, 2020
Abstract Submission Information:
Abstracts can be submitted from 19-Sep-2019 until 01-Nov-2019.

Noamane 2019: On the Integrity of Geminates in Moroccan Arabic: An Optimality-Theoretic account

Direct link: http://roa.rutgers.edu/content/article/files/1794_noamane_1.pdf

ROA: 1361
Title: On the Integrity of Geminates in Moroccan Arabic: An Optimality-Theoretic account
Authors: Ayoub Noamane
Comment:
Length: 31pp
Abstract: This paper investigates the phonological behavior of geminate consonants in Moroccan Arabic. In particular, we focus on the issue of geminate integrity in the context of schwa epenthesis and word formation. We show that, despite the many apparent exceptions, the variable nature of geminate integrity in MA can be successfully accounted for along the lines of the Geminate Law (Benhallam, 1980) if the latter is reinterpreted in the Optimality Theory framework. In this regard, this paper promises the following contributions: (i) it provides a unified analysis of geminate integrity in MA; (ii) it accounts for the variability of geminate integrity through constraint interactions a la Optimality Theory; (iii) it reconciles the exceptional patterns of geminate integrity with the regular ones.
Type: Paper/tech report
Area/Keywords: geminate behavior, geminate integrity, schwa epenthesis, word formation, phonology, Moroccan Arabic, optimality theory

Noamane 2019: A Root-and-prosody Approach to Templatic Morphology and Morphological Gemination in Moroccan Arabic

Direct link: http://roa.rutgers.edu/content/article/files/1796_noamane_1.pdf

ROA: 1362
Title: A Root-and-prosody Approach to Templatic Morphology and Morphological Gemination in Moroccan Arabic
Authors: Ayoub Noamane
Comment:
Length: 38pp
Abstract: Morphological gemination consists of the systematic gemination of a segment associated with the systematic change in meaning of the affected base? (Samek-Lodovici, 1993). In Moroccan Arabic, morphological gemination characterizes the derivation of causative verbs, agent nouns and instrument nouns. It involves the lengthening of the second segment of some base root to express the intended morphological function. (e.g. ktb ‘to write’ >> k?tt?b ‘to make write’). In the case of the agent and the instrument, lengthening the second segment is espoused with the presence of some vocalic material, namely the vowel /a/ (e.g. f?lla? ‘farmer’ and s?mma?a ‘headset’). Using the constraint-based framework of Optimality Theory, this paper will try to answer the following questions: (i) What is the morphological process responsible for morphological gemination in Moroccan Arabic? (ii) What is the morphological exponence of the causative, agent and instrument morphemes? (iii) How does the templatic shape of each form come to be?
Type: Paper/tech report
Area/Keywords: templatic morphology; morphological gemination; causative verbs; agent nouns; instrument nouns; Optimality Theory; Moroccan Arabic; Semitic languages

Shih and Zuraw 2015: Phonological conditions on variable adjective-noun word order in Tagalog

From Stephanie Shih, public discussion in comments below welcome

Shih, Stephanie and Kie Zuraw. 2015. Phonological conditions on variable adjective-noun word order in Tagalog. Ms, UC Merced and UCLA. (Submitted/Under review).

Abstract. Tagalog adjectives and nouns variably occur in two word orders, separated by an intermediary linker: adjective-linker-noun versus noun-linker-adjective. The linker has two phonologically-conditioned surface forms (–ng and na). This paper presents a large-scale, web-based corpus study of adjective/noun order variation in Tagalog, focusing in particular on phonological conditions. Results show that word order variation in adjective-noun pairs optimizes for phonological structure, abiding by phonotactic, syllabic, and morphophonological well-formedness preferences that are also found elsewhere in Tagalog grammar. The results indicate that surface phonological information is accessible for word order choice.

Moreton, Pater, Pertsova 2015: Phonological concept learning

The authors welcome public discussion in comments below.

Moreton, Elliott, Joe Pater and Katya Pertsova. 2015. Phonological concept learning. Cognitive Science. 1-66. DOI: 10.1111/cogs.12319

Abstract. Linguistic and non-linguistic pattern learning have been studied separately, but we argue for a comparative approach. Analogous inductive problems arise in phonological and visual pattern learning. Evidence from three experiments shows that human learners can solve them in analogous ways, and that human performance in both cases can be captured by the same models. We test GMECCS (Gradual Maximum Entropy with a Conjunctive Constraint Schema), an implementation of the Configural Cue Model (Gluck & Bower, 1988a) in a Maximum Entropy phonotactic-learning framework (Goldwater & Johnson, 2003; Hayes & Wilson, 2008) with a single free parameter, against the alternative hypothesis that learners seek featurally simple algebraic rules (“rule-seeking”). We study the full typology of patterns introduced by Shepard, Hovland, and Jenkins (1961) (“SHJ”), instantiated as both phonotactic patterns and visual analogs, using unsupervised training. Unlike SHJ, Experiments 1 and 2 found that both phonotactic and visual patterns that depended on fewer features could be more difficult than those that depended on more features, as predicted by GMECCS but not by rule-seeking. GMECCS also correctly predicted performance differences between stimulus subclasses within each pattern. A third experiment tried supervised training (which can facilitate rule-seeking in visual learning) to elicit simple rule-seeking phonotactic learning, but cue-based behavior persisted. We conclude that similar cue-based cognitive processes are available for phonological and visual concept learning, and hence that studying either kind of learning can lead to significant insights about the other.

@article{MoretonEtAl2015,
Author = {Elliott Moreton and Joe Pater and Katya Pertsova},
Journal = {Cognitive Science},
Pages = {1-66},
Title = {Phonological concept learning},
Year = {2015}}

Glossa is the new Lingua

E-mail from Guido Vanden Wyngaerd, Dec. 16, 2015

Dear colleagues,

With this message we want to inform you of the transition of the journal
formerly known as Lingua to the new journal Glossa, which will be published
under conditions of Fair Open Access with no charges for authors or readers.

As you may have heard, the Lingua editorial team (Executive editor Johan
Rooryck; Associate Editors Chung-hye Han, Anikó Lipták, Anne-Michelle
Tessier, Ianthi Tsimpli; and Advisory Editor Neil Smith) have resigned from
Lingua in October, with the entire 31-strong editorial board following suit.
This was the result of Elsevier’s refusal to renegotiate its collaboration
with the editors along the lines of Fair Open Access.

Today we are proud to announce the birth of Glossa: a journal of General
Linguistics. Glossa is a journal run for and by linguists. Its scientific
content will be freely available for readers worldwide. The costs charged by
the publisher (Ubiquity Press) to the authors are low, and will be paid for
by the Linguistics in Open Access (LingOA) foundation (see www.lingoa.eu for
details, and for links to press coverage of the Lingua -> Glossa move).

Glossa is now open and accepting submissions: please consult the journal’s
website (glossa-journal.org) for more details. As of January 1, 2016, Glossa
will be run by the same editorial board and editorial team that made Lingua
into one of the leading journals in the field. This will ensure that Glossa
will have the same high quality standards that Lingua had.

We look forward to hearing from you at Glossa!

Best wishes,

Waltraud Paul and Guido Vanden Wyngaerd
Interim editors of Glossa until 31 December 2015
________________________________________________________________________
Glossa: a Journal of General Linguistics
http://www.glossa-journal.org

Preliminary call: Twenty-Fourth Manchester Phonology Meeting

E-mail from Patrick Honeybone to the mfm list

PRELIMINARY CALL FOR PAPERS

Twenty-Fourth Manchester Phonology Meeting

26-28 MAY 2016

Deadline for abstracts: February 2016 [Precise date to be confirmed]

Special session: ‘Evidence in phonology’, featuring speakers to be confirmed

To be held at Hulme Hall, Manchester, England. Organised through a collaboration of phonologists at the University of Edinburgh, the University of Manchester, and elsewhere.

Conference website: http://www.lel.ed.ac.uk/mfm/24mfm.html

You might also be interested in the mfm FRINGE workshop entitled ‘Computation and learnability in phonological theory’ (organised by Jeffrey Heinz and Giorgio Magri), which is not part of the mfm, but is timed to fit around it, on Wednesday 25th May: https://linguistlist.org/issues/26/26-5133.html

————————

BACKGROUND

We are pleased to announce the preliminary plans for the Twenty-Fourth Manchester Phonology Meeting (24mfm). The mfm is the UK’s annual phonology conference, with an international set of organisers. It is held in late May every year in Manchester (central in the UK, and with excellent international transport connections). The meeting has become a key conference for phonologists from all over the world, where anyone who declares themselves to be interested in phonology can submit an abstract on anything phonological in any phonological framework. In an informal atmosphere, we discuss a broad range of topics, including the phonological description of languages, issues in phonological theory, aspects of phonological acquisition and implications of phonological change.

————————

SPECIAL SESSION

There is no conference theme – abstracts can be submitted on anything, but a special themed session is being organised for Friday afternoon, with the title ‘Evidence in phonology’. This will feature invited speakers and will conclude in an open discussion session when contributions from the audience will be very welcome. We aim to provide an opportunity for our invited speakers and audience to reflect on the status of the various types of data that have been used in phonological argumentation, in the light of both recent developments and classic concerns. [More details to follow soon.]

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ABSTRACT SUBMISSION

Details to follow: a full call for papers, with information about the invited speakers and about how to submit abstracts, will be issued soon.

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ORGANISERS

Organising Committee:

The first named is the convenor and main organiser, If you have any queries about the conference, feel free to get in touch (patrick.honeybone@ed.ac.uk).
* Patrick Honeybone (Edinburgh)
* Ricardo Bermudez-Otero (Manchester)
* Yuni Kim (Manchester)

Advisory Board:
* Adam Albright (MIT)
* Jill Beckman (Iowa)
* Paul Boersma (Amsterdam)
* Bert Botma (Leiden)
* Mike Davenport (Durham)
* Stuart Davis (Indiana)
* Laura J. Downing (Gothenburg)
* Silke Hamann (Amsterdam)
* S.J. Hannahs (Newcastle upon Tyne)
* Kristine A. Hildebrandt (Southern Illinois)
* Martin Kramer (Tromso)
* Nancy Kula (Essex)
* Aditi Lahiri (Oxford)
* Nabila Louriz (Hassan II, Casablanca)
* Joan Mascaro (UAB)
* Kuniya Nasukawa (Tohoku Gakuin)
* Marc van Oostendorp (Meertens & Leiden)
* Tobias Scheer (Nice)
* James M. Scobbie (QMU)
* Jennifer L. Smith (UNC)
* Patrycja Strycharczuk (QMU)
* Nina Topintzi (Thessaloniki)
* Jochen Trommer (Leipzig)
* Christian Uffmann (Duesseldorf)
* Sophie Wauquier (Paris 8)

Treasurer
* Michael Ramsammy (Edinburgh)