[Gandur] CfP Formula: Units of Speech – ‘Words’ of Verbal Art 17–19 May 2017, Helsinki, Finland

[- Frog]

Formula: Units of Speech – ‘Words’of Verbal ArtA multidisciplinary seminar-workshop 17th–19th May 2017Helsinki, Finland Formulaic language is a topic of rising interestacross 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, acritical mass of open, interdisciplinary dialogue has yet to occur.  Formula:Units of Speech – ‘Words’ of Verbal Art aims to bring different approaches tothe formula into dialogue, and especially to bridge the divide between formularesearch on unmarked spoken or written discourse and that on forms of verbalart such as oral poetry.   Approaches to the formula in the different fieldshave evolved to a great degree independently of one another.  At the same time, they seem to be movingtoward convergence. Indeed, the rising approach in linguistics to a formulaicsequence as a morpheme-equivalent unit with a devoted entry in the mentallexicon can be seen as corresponding fully to the spreading approach to theformula in oral poetry as a vernacular ‘word’ of the registral lexicon correspondingto an integer of meaning.  The divide betweenthese branches of research has developed from viewing oral poetry as distinctfrom language more generally, which has been bolstered by ClassicOral-Formulaic Theory’s definition of formula in terms of metrical positions ofverse.  Although these views have beenchanging, increasingly looking at formulaic language in poetry as a universal linguisticphenomenon conditioned by a particular metrical or poetic form, the divide haspersisted.   Opening discussion across the diverse andcomplementary approaches and research materials has become increasinglyimportant. Researchers of verbal art can benefit from views on formulaiclanguage from the perspective of a general linguistic phenomenon while researchersof the general linguistic phenomenon can benefit from perspectives gainedthrough verbal art, in which the formal constraints of poetic forms can makefeatures of how formulaic language works and varies more salient or evenempirically demonstrable.   Opening dialogue across disciplines is always challenging. To facilitate exchange, sufficient timeis needed both to absorb new views and ideas and to negotiate across unfamiliarperspectives.  Formula is thus organized with a limited number of paperpresentations, each of which is allotted a greater amount of time for opendiscussion.  Additional participants willalso have the opportunity to present and discuss their work with posterpresentations.   Keynote speakers:·        Professor Karl Reichl (University of Bonn)·        Professor Alison Wray (Cardiff University)We welcome proposals for papers and posters on topicsincluding, but not limited to:·        The operation of formulaic language in situatedperformance / language production·        Semantics, indexicality and functions offormulas ·        Synchronic and/or diachronic variation andadaptation·        Formulas across registers and languages·        Cognitive aspects or implications of formulaiclanguage·        The symbiosis of language, meter and/orparalinguistic features·        Equivalence and difference in formulaic languageof verbal art and other discourseIf you are interested in participating in thisevent with a poster or paper presentation, please send a title and 500-wordabstract along with your name, affiliation and link to your webpage to mr.frog at helsinki.fiby 15 October 2016.  Please specify whether you prefer toparticipate with a paper or poster presentation, noting that the structure ofthe event significantly limits the number of paperpresentations.  Papers should be plannedfor 20 min presentation to be followed by discussion.  Working texts will be required by 3 April2017 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 Artis organized by Folklore Studies, University of Helsinki, and the FinnishLiterature Society. We look forward to seeing you in Helsinki!