【国外会议】The Limits of Experimentation - Current Challenges in Experimental Linguistic Practice (LofE)

The Limits of Experimentation - Current Challenges in Experimental Linguistic Practice (LofE) 

实验的局限性——当前实验语言学实践中面临的挑战

转载自Linguist List（中文部分为小编自行编译）

Date会议日期: 2020.05.22 - 05.23
Location会议地点: Bochum, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany 波鸿，北莱茵-威斯特法伦州，德国
Contact Person联系人: Tibor Kiss
Web Site会议网址: http://www.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/limitsofexperimentation

Linguistic Field(s)所涉语言学分支: Applied Linguistics应用语言学; Computational Linguistics计算语言学; General Linguistics普通语言学; Linguistic Theories语言理论

Call Deadline: 2019.12.08

Meeting Description会议详情:
Linguistics has experienced an increasing focus on experimental evidence in recent times. This does not only concern external linguistic interfaces dealt with in psycho- or sociolinguistics. Proper linguistic sub-disciplines show a rapidly growing interest in experimental data as a base for theoretical linguistics, leading to new research strands such as experimental phonology, experimental syntax, experimental semantics or experimental pragmatics.
Despite an ongoing fundamental discussion on the general relevance of experimental data in theoretical linguistics, each linguistic sub-discipline has at commands a set of formal methods for data collection, which are frequently applied or newly developed. Here, linguists can refer to various sets of guidelines. Furthermore, we can orient ourselves by means of a large variety of study documentations. But as it turns out, many practical aspects remain unclear. Both methods on their own or together seem to not yet be exhaustive enough to answer all questions on proper procedure or to function as a base for a replication of individual studies.
As an example, take the challenges in the field of experimental syntax, which are not restricted to acceptability judgments, but are rather very general in nature. Until today, the need for judgment data in syntactic theorizing is controversially discussed. Proponents of experimental approaches call into question the empirical base of theories based on informal methods (Wasow & Arnold 2005; Featherston 2007; Gibson & Fedorenko 2010; Häussler & Juzek 2017). Other researches point to the practicability and various achievements of informal theorizing, thus defending introspective approaches (Phillips & Lasnik 2003; Phillips & Wagers 2007; Phillips 2009).
Proponents of experimental approaches can make use of a set of established formal methods (Likert Scales, Forced Choice, Magnitude Estimation) and newly introduced ones (Thermometer Task (Featherston 2008), Sentence Fragment Arrangement Task (e.g. Störzer 2017)). They can draw on concrete guidelines for experimental practice (Cowart 1997; Schütze 1996/22016; Schütze & Sprouse 2013) as well as on numerous study documentations. But various issues regarding conception or implementation remain unresolved or unaddressed in both sources, ranging from questions related to study design or sentence material to debates about an up-to-date procedure or about adequate method-specific statistical analyses. Moreover, guidelines are often too vague to ensure a uniform application.

2nd Call for Papers二次征稿:
In light of the various open questions regarding experimental linguistic practice, the purpose of this conference is to bring together experimental researchers working in different strands and different linguistic sub-disciplines or related areas in order to gather and critically discuss open issues. Thus, each individual contribution presents certain intricate practical aspects corresponding pragmatic solutions, or methodological reflections and impulses on linguistic experimentation. With this, we want to contribute to a critical evaluation of current standards as well as to the development of new standards and guidelines in the field.

Here is a non-exhaustive list of questions that could be addressed at this conference:
General Relevance
- Is experimental data indeed a necessary precondition for empirically adequate theoretical analyses?

Formal methods
- What do we consider the most promising formal methods for a given experimental sub-discipline and what are fruitful combinations of those methods?
- Is there a need for developing novel methods?

Factorial design
- How complex can we make our factorial designs in investigations of complex phenomena, while still guaranteeing a working analysis?

Sentence material
- What are the most reliable approaches to item construction?
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