*Call for Papers: Special Issue on Constructional Approaches in Formal Grammar* Following a successful workshop on Constructional Approaches in Formal Grammar https://www.uantwerpen.be/en/conferences/construction-grammars/scientific-program/workshops/formal-grammar/ at the 11th International Conference on Construction Grammar (ICCG11) we invite both workshop presenters and other researchers to submit their recent, unpublished work on the topic to a special issue of the Journal of Language Modelling https://jlm.ipipan.waw.pl/index.php/JLM.
*MOTIVATION* Construction Grammar is based on a holistic view of language. Its main analytical concepts are: a surface-oriented description; the simultaneous presence of form-, meaning- and, sometimes, usage-properties of utterances; non-locality or extended locality of linguistic units; the organization of linguistic knowledge in a hierarchical network (such as a type hierarchy); the rejection of the strict distinction between lexicon and syntax and the assumption of a syntax–lexicon continuum. Analyses within the framework of Construction Grammar range from highly formalized and computationally implemented ones to approaches which reject formalization. The formal vs. non-formal debate extends well beyond the domain of Construction Grammar, and is often accompanied by other dichotomies: functionalist vs. formalist, usage based vs. competence based, holistic vs. analytic, theory-driven vs. data-driven, nativism vs. constructivism, or the acceptance vs. rejection of a core-periphery distinction. The dichotomies that figure in the formal vs. non-formal debate are to a large degree orthogonal to the question of whether a formal account is possible, desirable, and maybe even insightful. The goal of this special issue is to discuss the potentials and limitations of construction-based formal analyses and the issues which formal approaches raise. The Journal of Language Modelling is a free (for readers and authors alike) open-access peer-reviewed journal. All articles are peer-reviewed by at least 3 reviewers, usually including at least one member of the Editorial Board.
*TOPICS OF INTEREST* Research questions relevant to the volume topics include but are not limited to:
- Which defining properties of a construction grammar can be found in other frameworks and which boundaries are encoded there? (such as the simultaneous presence of form and meaning, non-locality or extended locality of constructions, hierarchical network of constructions, surface orientation) - Which constructional phenomena defy a rigid formalization? - What criteria are there to decide what phenomena count as part of grammar and what is dependent on general cognitive principles? - Formal models of language aim at making predictions, i.e. at identifying impossible/ungrammatical units in addition to describing well-formed ones. Can/should this be made compatible with a description of language that takes usage data, linguistic creativity, and perceived oddness of unusual/non-entrenched patterns into account?
*SUBMISSIONS* The submissions should be journal papers, not proceedings papers, totalling 25-50 pages, excluding references. Authors are advised to use the online manuscript submission for the journal. Make sure to select the special issue when asked to provide the article type. More information, including formatting instructions for authors can be found on the journal's webpage at: https://jlm.ipipan.waw.pl/index.php/JLM/about/submissions.
*IMPORTANT DATES* Call for papers issued: 28/3/2022 Submissions due: 30/9/2022 Author notification: Early 2023
*GUEST EDITORS* Nurit Melnik (The Open University of Israel) Manfred Sailer (Goethe-University Frankfurt/Main)