CFP: Concept Types and Frames in Language, Cognition, and Science (CTF’14)

The 4th conference on "Concept Types and Frames in Language, Cognition, and Science" (CTF’14) will take place on 25–27 August 2014 at the University of Düsseldorf, Germany. The conference is intended as an interdisciplinary platform that contributes to the development of a general theory of the structure of representation. Special focus is given to accounts using frames understood as recursive attribute-value structures with functional attributes. The topics range from formalisms to describe frames and their ontological interpretation to applications of frames in the modeling of dynamic aspects of concept formation in science and cognition and the description of natural language semantics.

We invite submission of abstracts for 25min oral presentations (plus 10min discussion). Submission details:

• 600-800 words

• Deadline: 15th of April 2014

• Prepare abstracts for blind review

• Indicate conference topic (see below) to which the paper contributes

• Submit via EasyChair: https://www.easychair.org/conferences/?conf=ctf2014

• Notification of acceptance: 30 May 2014

CONFERENCE TOPICS

TOPIC 1: The structure of representations in cognition

Barsalou (1992) (re)introduced the notion of frames to describe the structure of cognitive representations. The aim was to provide a general format of cognitive representations rich enough to account for different degrees of abstractness found in cognition. This section will examine the structure of representations in cognition and evaluate the aptness of frame theory. This topic covers, but is not limited to:

• Empirical evidence

• Alternative models of the structure of representation

• The sensory and motoric basis of cognitive representation

• Abstraction models and the structure of (abstract) concepts

• (Structure of) cognition and (structure of) language

TOPIC 2: Attribute-value structures, type signatures, and constructional schemas

The logical and mathematical properties of attribute-value structures have been intensively investigated in the 1980's and 1990's in the context of unification-based grammar formalisms. Recent work on frame semantics has revived the use of (generalized) attribute-value structures with constraints as a model of semantic representation. The focus of this section is on logical and model-theoretic properties of attribute-value structures and frames, as well as on their specification and implementation. This topic covers, but is not limited to:

• Extensions of attribute-value structures and their logics

• Modal-logical perspectives on attribute-value logic

• Specification and implementation of type signatures

• Category-theoretic approaches to attribute-value structures and frames

TOPIC 3: Ontological aspects of frames

The recursive attribute-value structure of frames provides a powerful tool to describe particulars and universals alike. This section will focus on the implications of frame theory for ontological debates as well as the ontological interpretation of frames. This topic covers, but is not limited to:

• The ontological interpretation of attributes as functions from entities to values

• The ontological distinction between objects, values, and attributes

• The nature and ontological status of categories

• Frames as descriptions of structures in the world, linguistic structures, or cognitive structures

• Ontological commitments of frame theory

TOPIC 4: Lexical decomposition, constructions, and semantic composition

Theories of the syntax-semantics interface differ with respect to the type and amount of semantic information contributed by the lexical unit and the morphosyntactic environment, and the status of constructions in a cross-linguistically adequate theory of grammar. This section will be concerned with theoretical and empirical investigations on the interaction between (decompositional) lexical semantics, constructional meaning, and general grammatical constraints at the syntax-semantics interface. A special focus will be given to the role of a frame-based semantics in the lexicon and beyond. This topic covers, but is not limited to:

• Lexical decomposition and frame semantics

• Integration of lexical and constructional meaning

• Lexical semantics and argument realization

• Constructional schemas from a typological perspective

TOPIC 5: Coercion, conceptual shifts, and co-composition

A theory of semantic composition needs to be complemented by a theory of post-compositional operations that account for prima facie noncompositional interpretations in context. This section will focus on types of coercion processes and the regularities of conceptual shifts triggered by the sentential or discourse context. This topic covers, but is not limited to:

• Nominal type shifts, e. g. shifts among sortal, individual, relational, and functional concepts, mass-count, token-type, common nouns-proper names, etc.

• Verbal type shifts, e.g. shifts among Vendler classes

• Metonymy and related processes

• Metaphor

TOPIC 6: Dynamic models of verb semantics

At least since the work of Dowty, the formal treatment of events and changes as expressed by verbs has been a flourishing field in linguistic semantics. Many studies in this area have been inspired by Neo-Davidsonian formalizations of events descriptions in predicate logic. More recent approaches propose specialized logical formalisms specifically designed for the representation of change over time. The focus of this section is on formal frameworks for modelling the dynamic components of verb meaning and, in particular, on how a frame-based semantics can be integrated with such a model. This topic covers, but is not limited to:

• Frame-based models of actions and events

• Applications of dynamic logics to verb semantics

• Model-theoretic approaches to verb semantics

• Formal models of aspectual composition

TOPIC 7: Typological aspects of NP semantics

This section will focus on typological issues of nominal determination and their interaction with nominal concept types, including (in)definiteness, specificity, quantification, possession, countability, and classification. The topic includes synchronic typological topics along with issues of the historic evolution of articles and other determiners. This topic covers, but is not limited to:

• Definiteness, indefiniteness, and specificity across languages

• Noun incorporation

• Noun classes and classifiers, mass, count, and number

• Possession across languages

• Grammaticalization of determiners

Contact Information

Program committee: Sebastian Löbner, Rainer Osswald, Gottfried Vosgerau
Email: [email protected]
Conference Homepage: