CFP: Presupposition Accommodation Short Course and Poster Session

(our apologies if you receive multiple copies of this announcement)
* * * *     Call for Participation   * * * *

Workshop on Presupposition Accommodation: Poster Session
Intensive Short Course on Presupposition and Accommodation

At: The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio USA
Course dates:  October 8 - 13, 2006
Workshop dates:  October 13 - 15, 2006
website:  http://www.pragmatics.osu.edu

Deadline for Poster submissions:  Submit an abstract by July 31, 2006.
Acceptance will be notified by August 21, 2006.

Course Registration:  Register by June 15 to be considered for travel 
fellowships.
Registration forms available on the website


Workshop
========

Presupposition accommodation is at the intersection of central issues in 
semantics, pragmatics, psycholinguistics, artificial intelligence and philosophy 
of language.  When an utterance presupposes information which the addressee 
doesn't already know (e.g. "I'm on my way to my daughter's graduation" 
presupposes that the speaker has a daughter), the addressee may sometimes 
cooperatively accommodate that information, behaving as though he already knew 
it to be true, and go on to respond to the assertion ("Congratulations!"). 
Accommodation has broad implications for the theory of linguistic interpretation 
because it involves many of the same processes and constraints as in the 
recognition of contextual effects generally.  In addition to its ramifications 
for theories of meaning in linguistics and for philosophical discussions of the 
nature of meaning, presupposition accommodation bears on psycholinguistic 
theories of human linguistic competence, illustrating the interaction between 
linguistic and non-linguistic (general cognitive) processes.  And an 
appreciation of how it functions is important for the creation of software that 
aims to systematically interpret or produce language in context.

With support from the Ohio State University Colleges of the Arts and Humanities 
and the National Science Foundation, we are offering a workshop on 
presupposition accommodation, with invited participants from across several 
fields in cognitive science.

Invited participants:
Barbara Abbott, Michigan State University, Linguistics
Dorit Abusch, Cornell University, Linguistics
David Beaver, Stanford University, Linguistics
Anne Bezuidenhuit, University of South Carolina, Philosophy
Gregory Carlson, University of Rochester, Linguistics
Joshua Dever, University of Texas at Austin, Philosophy
Kai Von Fintel, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Linguistics
Lyn Frazier, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Psycholinguistics
Bart Geurts, University of Nijmegen, Philosophy
Anthony Gillies, University of Michigan, Philosophy
Jerry Hobbs, University of Southern California, Computer Science
Laurence R. Horn, Yale University, Linguistics
Staffan Larsson, Gothenburg University, Linguistics
Mats Rooth, Cornell University, Linguistics
Tony Sanford, Glasgow University, Psychology
Mandy Simons, Carnegie Mellon University, Philosophy
Matthew Stone, Rutgers University, Computer Science
Zoltán Szabò, Cornell University, Philosophy
Michael Tanenhaus, University of Rochester, Psychology
Rich Thomason, University of Michigan, Philosophy and Computer Science
Gregory Ward, Northwestern University, Linguistics
Henk Zeevat, University of Amsterdam, Linguistics


Poster Session
==============

We invite submissions for a poster session on the second day of the workshop, 
Saturday, October 14, 2006. Posters are welcome on any topics relevant for 
presupposition accommodation, including (but not limited to) theoretical and 
applied work on:

•    the nature of presupposition and of particular presupposition 
triggers,
•    the role of abductive reasoning in calculating intended meaning, and
•    the character of pragmatic repair.

Work on computational models, both interpretation and generation, and on human 
acquisition and processing are particularly solicited.

The abstract should be no more than 500 words (not including figures and 
references) and should include a header which provides contact information for 
the primary contact author. Send this information to the organizers, at 
prag-conf(a)ling.ohio-state.edu (replacing (a) in the email address with the 
‘at’ sign).

Deadline for abstract submissions:  Midnight (US) EST, July 31, 2006.
Acceptance will be notified by August 21, 2006.
Poster session date:  October 14, 2006.



Intensive Short Course on Presupposition and Accommodation: 
===========================================================

As an introduction to the material discussed in the Workshop on Presupposition 
Accommodation, the OSU Pragmatics Initiative is offering a one-week intensive 
course for graduate students and postdoctoral researchers who wish to improve 
their understanding of the topic of presupposition accommodation.  The course is 
intended to prepare students to maximally benefit from attendance at the 
interdisciplinary Workshop on Presupposition Accommodation, and to contribute to 
scholarship in this field.

The course will provide students with the opportunity to explore presupposition 
and accommodation in each of the five academic fields represented at the 
workshop.  Discussions and assigned readings will cover both foundational 
material and current developments, including papers commissioned for the 
workshop.  The course will take place October 8 - 13.

Please see the course website for a list of instructors.

How to Register for Course
==========================
Thanks to support from our sponsors, there is no charge to attend the course. 
Due to space restrictions, however, participation will be limited. Priority will 
be given to students with adequate background in a related field. To enroll for 
the course, complete the registration form that is downloadable from the 
Workshop website at http://www.pragmatics.osu.edu.

All students in the short course are expected to attend the Workshop on 
Presupposition Accommodation, taking place immediately after the course on 
October 13,14 and 15.

Travel Grants for Course
========================

The National Science Foundation has funded a number of travel fellowships for 
students and postdoctoral fellows who wish to attend the course. Fellowship 
students will be reimbursed for their transportation and housing expenses 
incurred to attend the course and workshop. Fellowship students are expected to 
attend the course for the entire week and also the Workshop on Presupposition 
Accommodation. Application materials for travel grants are included in the 
registration packet available on the website.

Important Dates for Short Course
===============================

June 15, 2006: Registration forms from applicants requesting travel
              fellowships must be received by June 15 to receive full
              consideration.

July 15, 2006: Notification of acceptance and fellowship status
               will be sent to applicants

Sept. 1, 2006:Late registration for the course only (without travel 
assistance) 		      will be accepted through September 1, 2006, subject to space 
              	      availability.

Organizers
==========

* Craige Roberts, OSU Dept. of Linguistics
* Donna Byron, OSU Dept. of Computer Science and Engineering
* Scott Schwenter, OSU Dept. of Spanish and Portuguese


Sponsors
========

The course is made possible through the support of the
following organizations:

   * The National Science Foundation of the U.S.A.
   * The OSU Department of Computer Science and Engineering
   * The OSU Department of Linguistics
   * The OSU Department of Spanish and Portuguese
   * The OSU Federated Colleges of the Arts and Sciences

More information
================

For additional information, please go to http://www.pragmatics.osu.edu or 
contact the organizers at prag-conf(a)ling.ohio-state.edu, by replacing (a) in 
the email address with the ‘at’ sign.