[H-verkko] CFP: Formula: Units of Speech – ‘Words’ of Verbal Art (Helsinki, 17th–19th May 2017)

[agricola at utu.fi]

Agricolan artikkelipyyntöihin on lähetetty uusi ilmoitus:
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Formula: Units of Speech – ‘Words’ of Verbal Art (Helsinki, 17th–19th
May 2017)
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Formula: Units of Speech – ‘Words’ of Verbal Art

A multidisciplinary seminar-workshop

17th–19th May 2017

Helsinki, Finland

Formulaic language is a topic of rising interest across researchers in diverse
but related disciplines, such as anthropology, folkloristics, linguistics,
philology and semiotics. Despite employing different methods and materials,
their findings are often complementary or even convergent. On the other hand, a
critical mass of open, interdisciplinary dialogue has yet to occur.  Formula:
Units of Speech – ‘Words’ of Verbal Art aims to bring different approaches
to the formula into dialogue, and especially to bridge the divide between
formula research on unmarked spoken or written discourse and that on forms of
verbal art such as oral poetry.

Approaches to the formula in the different fields have evolved to a great degree
independently of one another.  At the same time, they seem to be moving toward
convergence. Indeed, the rising approach in linguistics to a formulaic sequence
as a morpheme-equivalent unit with a devoted entry in the mental lexicon can be
seen as corresponding fully to the spreading approach to the formula in oral
poetry as a vernacular ‘word’ of the registral lexicon corresponding to an
integer of meaning.  The divide between these branches of research has
developed from viewing oral poetry as distinct from language more generally,
which has been bolstered by Classic Oral-Formulaic Theory’s definition of
formula in terms of metrical positions of verse.  Although these views have
been changing, increasingly looking at formulaic language in poetry as a
universal linguistic phenomenon conditioned by a particular metrical or poetic
form, the divide has persisted. 

Opening discussion across the diverse and complementary approaches and research
materials has become increasingly important. Researchers of verbal art can
benefit from views on formulaic language from the perspective of a general
linguistic phenomenon while researchers of the general linguistic phenomenon can
benefit from perspectives gained through verbal art, in which the formal
constraints of poetic forms can make features of how formulaic language works
and varies more salient or even empirically demonstrable. 

Opening dialogue across disciplines is always challenging.  To facilitate
exchange, sufficient time is needed both to absorb new views and ideas and to
negotiate across unfamiliar perspectives.  Formula is thus organized with a
limited number of paper presentations, each of which is allotted a greater
amount of time for open discussion.  Additional participants will also have the
opportunity to present and discuss their work with poster presentations. 

 

Keynote speakers:

Professor Karl Reichl (University of Bonn)
Professor Alison Wray (Cardiff University)

We welcome proposals for papers and posters on topics including, but not limited
to:

The operation of formulaic language in situated performance / language
production
Semantics, indexicality and functions of formulas
Synchronic and/or diachronic variation and adaptation
Formulas across registers and languages
Cognitive aspects or implications of formulaic language
The symbiosis of language, meter and/or paralinguistic features
Equivalence and difference in formulaic language of verbal art and other
discourse

If you are interested in participating in this event with a poster or paper
presentation, please send a title and 500-word abstract along with your name,
affiliation and link to your webpage to mr.frog at helsinki.fi by 15 October
2016.  Please specify whether you prefer to participate with a paper or poster
presentation, noting that the structure of the event significantly limits the
number of paper presentations.  Papers should be planned for 20 min
presentation to be followed by discussion.  Working texts will be required by 3
April 2017 for circulation among participants in advance.

 

For more information, please visit our webpage
http://blogs.helsinki.fi/form-ula/ .

Formula: Units of Speech – ‘Words’ of Verbal Art is organized by Folklore
Studies, University of Helsinki, and the Finnish Literature Society.

 

We look forward to seeing you in Helsinki!

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Ilmoituksen lähetti: Kati Kallio <kati.kallio at finlit.fi>
Ilmoitus vanhentuu: 16.10.2016
Lisätietoja WWW-osoitteesta: http://blogs.helsinki.fi/form-ula/