Previous Seasons Meetings
PhilSoc welcomes proposals for papers to be read at meetings. Proposals should be forwarded to the Honorary Secretary (contact details on the Contact page). Papers may be on any topic falling within the scope of PhilSoc's interests, but speakers are asked to bear in mind that the audience will represent a wide range of linguistic interests, and papers should therefore be accessible to non-specialists.
Early Career Researcher Forum
Late-stage doctoral students and early career researchers present their work in 20-minute presentations
February 2019
Function of vowel length in language: phonological, grammatical and pragmatic consequences
Prof. Larry Hyman (Berkeley)
The next meeting of PhilSoc will take place on Friday 15 February 2019 at SOAS University of London. Prof. Larry Hyman (University of California, Berkeley) will speak on 'Functions of Vowel Length in Language: Phonological, Grammatical, & Pragmatic Consequences'. The meeting will take place at 4.15 in the Djam Lecture Theatre (DLT), Main SOAS building. Tea will be served from 3.45.
January 2019
A spoken corpus of Cameroon Pidgin English: compilation, applications and next steps
Dr Melanie Green (Sussex) & Dr Gabriel Ozon (Sheffield)
The next meeting of PhilSoc will take place on Friday 18 January 2019 at SOAS University of London. Dr Melanie Green (Sussex) & Dr Gabriel Ozon (Sheffield) will make a presentation on 'A spoken corpus of Cameroon Pidgin English: compilation, applications and next steps'. The meeting will take place at 4.15 in Room T102, 21-22 Russell Square (NOT the main SOAS building). Tea will be served from 3.45.
Presentations by early career researchers
Language change in its socio-historical context
The next meeting of PhilSoc will take place at the University of Sheffield on Friday 16 November. Early career researchers Dr Christine Wallis (University of Sheffield), Dr Claire Childs (University of York) and Mr George Bailey (University of Manchester) will make presentations on Language change in its socio-historical context, followed by a round table discussion chaired by Dr Ranjan Sen (University of Sheffield). The meeting will will take place at 4.15 in the Humanities Research Institute (HRI) Building, Conference Room. Refreshments will be served from 3.45 in the HRI atrium.
October 2018
The diachrony of initial consonant loss in Cape York Peninsula (Australia)
Prof. Jean-Christophe Verstraete (Leuven)
The next meeting of PhilSoc will take place on Friday 19 October at the University of London. Prof. Jean-Christophe Verstraete, Leuven, will speak on 'The diachrony of initial consonant loss in Cape York Peninsula (Australia)'. The meeting will take place at 4.15 in Room G3 in Senate House. Tea will be served from 3.45.
AGM
Parallel evolution of relative clauses in Indo-European
Prof. Nikolas Gisborne (Edinburgh) & Dr Robert Truswell (Edinburgh)
The AGM of PhilSoc will be held in Somerville College, Oxford (Woodstock Road, OX2 6HD), on Saturday 16 June at 4.15 (tea from 3.45), followed by a lecture by Prof. Nikolas Gisborne and Dr Robert Truswell (both Edinburgh) on ‘Parallel evolution of relative clauses in Indo-European’. All welcome (including guests).
May 2018
Bashkardi – a language by convergence?
Dr Agnes Korn, CNRS, Paris
The next meeting of PhilSoc will take place on Friday 11 May 2018 at SOAS. Dr Agnes Korn, CNRS, Paris, will speak on 'Bashkardi – a language by convergence?'. The meeting will take place at 4.15 in Room 116 in the main SOAS building. Tea will be served from 3.45.
April 2018
Variation in Scots
We are pleased to announce that PhilSoc is, together with the British Academy and the Royal Society of Edinburgh, hosting a public event on 'Variation in Scots' in Edinburgh on 25 April 2018, 6.30 pm. The event will be chaired by Professor Jeremy Smith FRSE, Professor of English Philology, University of Glasgow.
Speakers are: Bruce Eunson, Scots Language Coordinator, Education Scotland; Michael Hance, Director, Scots Language Centre; Alice Heywood, Learning Officer, National Library of Scotland; Professor Robert McColl Millar, Professor in Linguistics and Scottish Language, University of Aberdeen; Professor Jennifer Smith, Professor of Sociolinguistics, University of Glasgow. For further information and to book a free place, please click here or here.
March 2018
Mechanising historical phonology
Prof. Patrick Sims-Williams, Aberystwyth
The next meeting of PhilSoc will take place on Saturday 10 March 2018 at Cambridge. Prof. Patrick Sims-Williams, Aberystwyth University, will speak on 'Mechanising historical phonology'. The meeting will take place at 4.15 in Selwyn College. Tea will be served from 3.45.
February 2018
Language, learning and usage-based theory: tackling nominal and verbal morphology in Slavic
Dr Dagmar Divjak, Sheffield
The next meeting of PhilSoc will take place on Friday 9 February 2018 at SOAS. Dr Dagmar Divjak, Sheffield, will speak on 'Language, learning and usage-based theory: tackling nominal and verbal morphology in Slavic '. The meeting will take place at 4.15 in Room 116 in the main SOAS building. Tea will be served from 3.45.
