Linguistic Variation Across the Lifespan

Department of Linguistics, The Ohio State University

May 2-3, 2008

The Linguistic Variation Across the Lifespan Symposium will bring together scholars from linguistics and related disciplines, including psychology, speech and hearing sciences, and anthropology, to examine variability as a fundamental property of human language at all life stages.  The symposium will focus on questions about the sources of linguistic variability at each life stage and the implications of these sources of variability for language processing, acquisition, perception, and social identity construction.  For example, in early childhood, how does variability relate to the acquisition process?  In adulthood, how does stylistic variation mark membership in communities centered around work or leisure?  In later life, how do physical changes in the vocal tract contribute to linguistic and social sources of variability?  By bringing together scholars interested in acquisition, stylistic variation, and aging, this symposium will also provide the opportunity to extend research questions beyond their typical life stage.  For example, how does language acquisition continue beyond childhood?  How could we view adulthood as characterized as much by variability and transition as other life stages?

The symposium will include invited talks by:

        Penelope Eckert, Stanford University

        Carla Hudson Kam, University of California, Berkeley

        Benjamin Munson, University of Minnesota

        Gillian Sankoff, University of Pennsylvania

If you have questions, please contact springsym AT ling DOT osu DOT edu

The Symposium is made possible through the generous support of the Targeted Investment in Excellence in the College of Humanities, The Ohio State University.

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