Syntax Colloquium 01.02.2021 – Harold Torrence

We are very happy to announce the next talk in our syntax colloquium this term. Harold Torrence (UCLA) will talk about "The Pathway of Successive Cyclic Movement: Evidence from Avatime Complex Predicates”. The talk will take place online, please see the information below on how to participate. Title: "The Pathway of Successive Cyclic Movement: Evidence from Avatime Complex Predicates” Time : 01.02.2021, 4 pm Place: Zoom (If you are not a regular member of the syntax colloquium and if you would like to listen to this talk, please contact Katharina Hartmann. You will be sent a link / ID to Zoom.) Please find the abstract below. You are all, as always, cordially invited! All the best, Johannes =============== "The Pathway of Successive Cyclic Movement: Evidence from Avatime Complex Predicates” Understanding the mechanism of successive cyclic A'-movement is a longstanding issue in generative syntax. Within this framework of ideas, one central concern has been to determine what are the intermediate landing sites. Related to this is the question of why particular...
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Talk by Jan Köpping (GU) and Sarah Zobel (University of Oslo)

We are happy to announce a talk by Jan Köpping (GU) and Sarah Zobel (University of Oslo) at the Semantics Colloquium. Please register beforehand (s.walter@em.uni-frankfurt.de) to receive the access data to zoom on Thursday shortly before the talk starts. Title:Two types of existential quantification Date: January 28 Time: 4 pm – 6 pm ct Abstract: We argue that natural language distinguishes between two types of existential quantification. This is observable in the contrasting semantic behavior of indefinite expressions, which allow for anaphoric relationships, on the one hand, and existentially used dedicated impersonal pronouns and implicit agents of episodic short passives, which do not, on the other. We present a formal system that blends existing static and dynamic accounts, which allows us to model both types of existential quantification by distinguishing two existential quantifiers: a “dynamic” existential quantifier that introduces a new discourse referent and thus allows for anaphoric relationships and a “static” one that does not. The second quantifier is argued to capture the observed discourse inertness of...
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Syntax Colloquium 25.01.2021 – Nelly Kerezova and Melissa Jeckel & Anke Himmelreich

Dear colleagues, we are very happy to announce the next session of our syntax colloquium, which will again host two talks. Nelly Kerezova will talk about "Null objects in European Portuguese" and Melissa Jeckel & Anke Himmelreich will discuss "Agreement with Coordinated Subjects in the World’s Languages". Titles: "Null objects in European Portuguese" (Kerezova); "Agreement with Coordinated Subjects in the World’s Languages" (Jeckel & Himmelreich) Time  : 25.01.2021, 4 - 6 pm Place : Zoom (If you are not a regular member of the syntax colloquium and if you would like to listen to this talk, please contact Katharina Hartmann. You will be sent a link / ID to Zoom.) You are all, as always, cordially invited! All the best, Johannes...
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Talk by Muyi Yang (UConn)

We are happy to announce a talk by Muyi Yang (UConn) at the Semantics Colloquium. Please register beforehand (s.walter@em.uni-frankfurt.de) to receive the access data to zoom on Thursday shortly before the talk starts. Title: Iffy if: Japanese moshi in conditionals and related constructions Date: January 21 Time: 4 pm – 6 pm ct Abstract: Across languages, conditional antecedents can often be marked by elements that signal the speaker's sense of "iffiness" about the antecedent proposition, such as English if (von Fintel and Iatridou 2002), German falls (Hinterwimmer 2014)  and sollte (Sode and Sugawara 2019). This talk concerns Japanese moshi, a marker in conditional antecedents that has been traditionally described as a signal of supposition. I will first investigate the distribution of moshi in various types of conditionals such as factual conditionals and unconditionals, and show that the iffiness expressed by moshi has to do with whether the antecedent proposition is in the common ground. I will propose a presuppositional account of moshi, and further extend the analysis to capture its use...
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Roundtable on Hungarian Intonation 20.01.2021

Dear all, we are happy to announce the Roundtable on Hungarian Intonation as part of the Phonology Colloquium. Date: Wed 20. January 2021 Time: 15.00 (sharp) - approx. 18.30 Location: Zoom Please register beforehand (Kuegler@em.uni-frankfurt.de) to receive the access data to zoom! A schedule of the talks can be found here: https://www.linguistik-in-frankfurt.de/institut/lehrstuhl-phonologie-kugler/roundtable-on-hungarian-prosody-20-01-2021/ All are welcome! /frank...
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