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Meeting Darwin's last challenge: toward a global tree of human languages and genes (LanGeLin)

ERC Advanced Grant project, 2012-2018

Overview

Project overview

LanGeLin (Language and Gene Lineages) is the acronym for the ERC-funded research project 'Meeting Darwin’s last challenge: toward a global tree of human languages and genes' coordinated by Professor Giuseppe Longobardi, PI, running from December 2012 to November 2018. The project addresses one question, formulated by Charles Darwin in The Origin of Species, namely whether the cultural transmission and differentiation of languages over the period of human history matches the biological transmission and differentiation of the genetic characters which define the populations of the world. The project is by definition interdisciplinary, and the work of the linguistic researchers in York is complemented by the participation of population geneticists and molecular anthropologists based at the University of Ferrara and the University of Bologna-Alma Mater Studiorum. 

Serious testing of Darwin’s positive expectation with respect to this question, though also highly relevant for prehistoric archaeology and palaeoanthropology, has rarely and rather been addressed to date, with no clear results. The attempts have been undermined particularly by the weakness of large-scale language taxonomies. The biological tools for population classification have seen substantial progress, following L. Cavalli Sforza’s pioneering suggestions in the 1950s and 1960s, leading to contemporary molecular and now genomic anthropology; in contrast only scarce and highly controversial proposals have emerged about the methods for classifying distant languages and reconstructing chronologically deep families.

The LanGeLin linguists will address these issues not by means of traditional lexical methods (word comparison), but through a radically new comparative method (Longobardi and Guardiano 2009) based entirely on grammatical evidence, informed by recent theoretical advances in formal linguistics and typological data coverage. This Parametric Comparison Method has been successfully tested on European languages, ensuring unprecedented standards of testability and replicability, can measure linguistic distances between even remote populations.

Through the use of shared statistical and computational tools, LanGeLin aims to build up comparable phylogenetic trees of strategically chosen languages and populations, and therefore to test in the strongest possible way Darwin’s expectation about their eventual congruity, both on local and global scales.

  • Longobardi, Giuseppe, and Cristina Guardiano. 2009. Evidence for Syntax as a Signal of Historical Relatedness. Lingua 119, 1679-1706.

Full project description

Team

Project team

Team members are in York, Ferrara and Bologna. The core York group is:

Publications

Publications

2021

  • Irimia, Monica Alexandrina. Aspects of differential object marking. Revue Roumaine de Linguistique. (with Sonia Cyrino)

2020

  • Guardiano, Cristina, and Giuseppe Longobardi. Formal syntactic methods for establishing language phylogenies. In: Richard D. Janda, Brian D. Joseph, and Barbara Vance (eds.), The Handbook of Historical Linguistics, Volume II. Oxford: Wiley Blackwell.

2018

  • Irimia, Monica Alexandrina. Epistemic comparatives: a cross-linguistic picture. In: Proceedings of the 35th West Coast Conference in Linguistics. Somerville, MA: Cascadilla Proceedings Project. (with Julie Goncharov)

2017

  • Guardiano, Cristina, and Giuseppe Longobardi. Parameter theory and parametric comparison. In: I. Roberts (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Universal Grammar, 377–401. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • Irimia, Monica Alexandrina. Indirect evidentials: more arguments for the sentience domain projection. In: Proceedings of the 34 West Coast Conference in Linguistics, 267–276. Somerville, MA: Cascadilla Proceedings Project.
  • Kim, Shin-Sook. Noun-modifying constructions in Korean. In: Y. Matsumoto, B. Comrie and P. Sells (eds.), Noun-Modifying Clause Constructions in Languages of Eurasia: Rethinking Theoretical and Geographical Boundaries, 59–89. John Benjamins Publishing Company. (with Peter Sells)
  • Longobardi, Giuseppe, and Cristina Guardiano. Phylogenetic reconstruction in syntax: the Parametric Comparison Method. In: A. Ledgeway & I. Roberts (eds.), The Cambridge Handbook of Historical Syntax, 241–272. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  • Radkevich, Nina. Agreement between arguments? Not really. In: R. D'Alessandro, I. Franco, and Á. J. Gallego (eds.), The Verbal Domain, 49–85. Oxford: Oxford University Press. (with Maria Polinsky and Marina Chumakina)

2016

  • Guardiano, Cristina. Definite articles in Ancient Greek. In: S. W. Jamison, H. C. Melchert, B. Vine (eds.), Proceedings of the 26th Annual UCLA Indo-European Conference, 27–46. Bremen: Hempen.
  • Guardiano, Cristina, Dimitris Michelioudakis, Andrea Ceolin, Monica Alexandrina Irimia, Giuseppe Longobardi, Nina Radkevich, Giuseppina Silvestri, and Ioanna Sitaridou. South by Southeast: A syntactic approach to Romance and Greek microvariation. L’Italia Dialettale LXXVII, 95–166.
  • Irimia, Monica-Alexandrina. How small are small clauses? Adjectival small clauses and restructuring. Proceedings of WCCFL 33 (West Coast Conference in Formal Linguistics), ed. Kyeong-min Kim, 207-216. Cascadilla Proceedings Project. Cascadilla Press.
  • Longobardi, Giuseppe, Armin Buch, Andrea Ceolin, Aaron Ecay, Cristina Guardiano, Monica-Alexandrina Irimia, Dimitris Michelioudakis, Nina Radkevich, and Gerhard Jäger. Correlated evolution or not? Phylogenetic linguistics with syntactic, cognacy and phonetic data. In S.G. Roberts, C. Cuskley, L. McCrohon, L. Barceló-Coblijn, O. Feher & T. Verhoef (eds.), The Evolution of Language: Proceedings of the 11th International Conference (EVOLANG11).
  • Longobardi, Giuseppe, Andrea Ceolin, Luca Bortolussi, Cristina Guardiano, Monica-Alexandrina Irimia, Dimitris Michelioudakis, Nina Radkevich, and Andrea Sgarro. Mathematical modeling of grammatical diversity supports the historical reality of formal syntax. In C. Bentz, G. Jäger & I. Yanovich (eds.). Proceedings of the Leiden Workshop on Capturing Phylogenetic Algorithms for Linguistics. University of Tübingen, online publication system.
  • Longobardi, Giuseppe, Andrea Ceolin, Aaron Ecay, Silvia Ghirotto, Cristina Guardiano, Monica-Alexandrina Irimia, Dimitris Michelioudakis, Nina Radkevich, Davide Pettener, Donata Luiselli, Guido Barbujani. Formal linguistics as a cue to demographic history. Journal of Anthropological Sciences 94, 147-155.
  • Michelioudakis, Dimitris. PP-licensing and compounding: Evidence for prepositions as probes. Rivista di Grammatica Generativa 38, 201-213. (with Nikos Angelopoulos)
  • Michelioudakis, Dimitris. Recasting the typology of multiple wh-fronting: Evidence from Pontic Greek. Glossa: a journal of general linguistics 1(1): 40, 1–33. (with Ioanna Sitaridou)
  • Michelioudakis, Dimitris. Classifiers and plurality: Evidence from a deictic classifier language. Baltic International Yearbook of Cognition, Logic and Communication 11(1), 1–20. (with Filomena Sandalo)
  • Radkevich, Nina. Genitive case drop in Korean as compounding. In: Proceedings of the 11th Workshop on Altaic Formal Linguistics (WAFL11). Cambridge, MA: MITWPL. 

2015

  • Irimia, Monica-Alexandrina. DPs in adjectival small clauses in Romanian: A diachronic perspective. In Virginia Hill (ed.), Formal approaches to DPs in Old Romanian, 290–329. Leiden/Boston: Koninklijke Brill.
  • Longobardi, Giuseppe. An interview on linguistic variation with Giuseppe Longobardi, Isogloss 2015, 1/2, 143-149.
  • Longobardi, Giuseppe, Silvia Ghirotto, Cristina Guardiano, Francesca Tassi, Andrea Benazzo, Andrea Ceolin, and Guido Barbujani. Across language families: Genome diversity mirrors linguistic variation within Europe. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 157(4), 630–640.
  • Longobardi, Giuseppe, Cristina Guardiano, Giuseppina Silvestri, Alessio Boattini, and Andrea Ceolin. 2015. Toward a syntactic phylogeny of modern Indo-European languages. In: L. Kulikov and N. Lavidas (eds.), Proto-Indo-European Syntax and Its Development, 125–156. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
  • Michelioudakis, Dimitris. The evolution of inherent case in the diachrony of Greek. In T. Biberauer and G. Walkden (eds.), Syntax over Time. Lexical, Morphological and Information-Structural Interactions, 197-218. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • Michelioudakis, Dimitris. Greek focus operators and their associates In Stavrou, M. (ed.), Studies in Greek Linguistics, 167-179. (with S. Chatzikyriakidis and G. Spathas)

2014

  • Guardiano, Cristina. Fenomeni di contatto sintattico in Italia meridionale? Alcune note comparative. In D. Pescarini and S. Rossi (eds.), Quaderni di lavoro ASIt n. 18, 73-102.
  • Guardiano, Cristina. Greek and Romance in Southern Italy: History and contact in nominal structures. L'Italia Dialettale 75, 121-147. (with M. Stavrou)
  • Longobardi, Giuseppe. Darwin's Last Challenge. A historical biolinguistic program. In M. Hafid, A.Yamlahi, N. Amiri, K. Lacheb, A. Salim, M. Merzouk (eds.), Language, Cognition, Meaning, Planning and Education. In honor of Pr. A. Fassi Fehri, 30-47. Université Mohammed V, Rabat.
  • Longobardi, Giuseppe. Language learning and linguistic theory. A preface to: S. Mochi Minimalism and the Acquisition of Functional Categories in EFL Class. Aracne, Rome.
  • Longobardi, Giuseppe. Theory and experiment in Parametric Minimalism: The case of Romance negation. In Diana Guillemin, Rob Pensalfini and Myf Turpin (eds.), Language Description Informed by Theory, 217-261. Philadelphia/Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
  • Longobardi, Giuseppe. Natura e cultura: l'unità e la diversità del linguaggio umano, Alfabeta 2, nr. 34, January/February.
  • Radkevich, Nina. The biabsolutive construction in Lak and Tsez. Lingua 150, 137-170. (with Annie Gagliardi, Michael Goncalves, and Maria Polinsky)

2013

  • Longobardi, Giuseppe, and Giuseppina Silvestri. The structure of noun phrases. In Silvia Luraghi and Claudia Parodi (eds.), The Bloomsbury Companion to Syntax, 88-117. London/New York: Bloomsbury.
  • Longobardi Giuseppe, C. Guardiano, G. Silvestri, A. Ceolin, and A. Boattini. Toward a syntactic phylogeny of modern Indo-European languages, Journal of Historical Linguistics 3:1, 122–152.

2012

  • Longobardi, Giuseppe. Convergence in parametric phylogenies: homoplasy or principled explanation. In C. Galves, S. Cyrino, R. Lopes, F. Sandalo & J. Avelar (eds.), Parameter Theory and Linguistic Change, 304-319. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Presentations

Presentations

Keynote presentations

2016

  • Longobardi, Giuseppe. On Genitive and other checked Cases. Nominals Workshop, Recife, March 18. 

2015

  • Longobardi, Giuseppe. On the mathematics of grammatical diversity, QITL 6 Conference, Universität Tübingen, November 5.
  • Longobardi, Giuseppe. On Genitives, Comparative and Diachronic Perspectives on Romanian/Romance Syntax, Universitatea din Bucureşti, November 28.

2014

  • Longobardi, Giuseppe. The Anti-Babelic Nature of Linguistic Diversity, 29th Comparative Germanic Syntax Workshop & The State of the Art in Comparative Syntax, University of York, September 27.

2013

  • Longobardi, Giuseppe. Towards historical biolinguistics. Workshop on Advances in Biolinguistics, 19th International Congress of Linguists. Geneva, July.
  • Longobardi, Giuseppe. Darwin's last challenge. ACED. University of Bucharest, Bucharest, June.
  • Longobardi, Giuseppe. Darwin's last challenge. A historical biolinguistic program. Conference on Language, Cognition, Semiotics, Planning, and Education, Université Mohammed V. Rabat, March.

Invited talks

2015

  • Irimia, Monica-Alexandrina. Resultativity and stativity. International Colloquium on Stativity. University Paris VII, March 23.
  • Longobardi, Giuseppe. Genes don't travel alone, grammars sometimes do: the glossogenetics of Eurasian demography. Inaugural Colloquium, Center for Advanced Studies: Words, Bones, Genes, Tools. Universität Tübingen, December 2.

2014

  • Irimia, Monica-Alexandrina. Indirect evidentiality and TAM: Romance and beyond. International Workshop on 'Commitment phenomena through the study of evidential markers in Romance languages'. Neuchâtel, September 5.
  • Irimia, Monica-Alexandrina. Syntactic typology and phylogeny. University of Toronto at Mississauga, April.
  • Longobardi, Giuseppe. Darwin's last challenge. Dept. of Linguistics, University of Edinburgh, October 2.
  • Longobardi, Giuseppe. Darwin's last challenge. University of Tübingen, Tübingen, May.
  • Longobardi, Giuseppe. Darwin's last challenge. University of Newcastle, Newcastle, May.
  • Longobardi, Giuseppe. Darwin's last challenge. Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, May.
  • Longobardi, Giuseppe. Darwin's last challenge. Centre for Complex Systems Analysis, York, May.
  • Longobardi, Giuseppe. Language, History, and the Cognitive Revolution. University of Oxford, March.
  • Longobardi, Giuseppe. Darwin's last challenge. Philological Society Meeting. London, February.
  • Longobardi, Giuseppe. Darwin's last challenge. York Research Showcase Day. University of York, February.

2013

  • Irimia, Monica-Alexandrina. How to be specific. University of Kent. Canterbury.
  • Longobardi, Giuseppe. Two questions on language diversity. Round Table 'Hilbert's list in Linguistics', Istituto Universitario di Studi Superiori. Pavia, November.
  • Longobardi, Giuseppe. Formal syntax and language phylogeny. Faculty of Classics, University of Cambridge. Cambridge, October.
  • Longobardi, Giuseppe. Darwin's last challenge. 15th Annual Conference of the English Department, University of Bucharest, Bucharest, August.
  • Longobardi, Giuseppe. Darwin's last challenge. 39th Incontro di Grammatica Generativa, Modena and Reggio Emilia, February.

Conference/workshop presentations

2017

  • Ceolin, Andrea, Guido Cordoni, Cristina Guardiano, Monica Alexandrina Irimia, Dimitar Kazakov, Shin-Sook Kim, Giuseppe Longobardi, Dimitris Michelioudakis, and Nina Radkevich. The phylogenetic signal of comparative syntax. The 8th International Contrastive Linguistics Conference (ICLC8), University of Athens, May 25–28.
  • Ceolin, Andrea, Guido Cordoni, Cristina Guardiano, Monica Alexandrina Irimia, Dimitar Kazakov, Shin-Sook Kim, Giuseppe Longobardi, Dimitris Michelioudakis, and Nina Radkevich. Language history and parameter setting. Georgetown University Round Table on Languages and Linguistics (GURT 2017). Variable Properties: Their Nature and Acquisition, Washington DC, March 10–12.
  • Cordoni, Guido, Cristina Guardiano, Monica Alexandrina Irimia, Dimitar Kazakov, Shin-Sook Kim, Giuseppe Longobardi, Dimitris Michelioudakis, and Nina Radkevich. Language change and population diversity. Inuktitut language and linguistics. Workshop in honor of Alana Johns, University of Toronto, May 30.

2016

  • Ceolin, Andrea, Dimitris Michelioudakis, Cristina Guardiano, Monica-Alexandrina Irimia, Giuseppe Longobardi, Nina Radkevich Mark Bartlett, Dimitar Kazakov, Andrea Brunelli Silvia Ghirotto, Alessio Boattini, Stefania Sarno, Davide Pettener, Guido Barbujani, and Donata Luiselli. Parametric history and population diversity. Diachronic Generative Syntax 18 (DiGS 18), Ghent, June 28 - July 1.
  • Ceolin, Andrea, Giuseppe Longobardi, Guido Cordoni, Cristina Guardiano, Monica Alexandrina Irimia, Dimitris Michelioudakis, Nina Radkevich, Luca Bortolussi, and Andrea Sgarr. On the empirical and mathematical basis of syntactic comparison. The 3rd Formal Ways of Analyzing Variation Conference (FWAV3). New York, May 18-19.
  • Guardiano, Cristina, Monica Alexandrina Irimia, Giuseppe Longobardi, Dimitris Michelioudakis, and Nina Radkevich. Round table “Collecting data on microvariation in Romance. Methodological issues”. Formal approaches to Romance Microvariation, Representing syntactic microvariation through the PCM: Problems and methods. Bucharest, November 25-26.
  • Guardiano, Cristina, and Dimitris Michelioudakis. Syntactic variation across Italian and Greek dialects: The case of demonstratives. 11th Cambridge Italian Dialect Syntax-Morphology Meeting, University of Vienna, July 6.
  • Guardiano, Cristina, Dimitris Michelioudakis, Melita Stavrou, Metin Bağriacik, Giuseppe Longobardi, Ioanna Sitaridou. Diagnosing syntactic effects of language contact and historical transmission: Asia Minor Greek as a key study. 1st International Conference on Language Contact in the Balkans and Asia Minor. Thessaloniki, November 3-5.
  • Guardiano Cristina, Dimitris Michelioudakis, Metin Bagriacik, and Ioanna Sitaridou. Dialectal variation in the syntax of Greek demonstratives. 7th International Conference on Modern Greek Dialects and Linguistic Theory (MGDLT7), Retymno (Crete), October 6-8.
  • Guardiano, Cristina, Dimitris Michelioudakis, Andrea Ceolin,Monica Alexandrina Irimia, Giuseppe Longobardi, Nina Radkevich, Giuseppina Silvestri, Ioanna Sitaridou. Probing the vertical and horizontal signal of parametric syntax. Diachronic Generative Syntax 18 (DiGS 18), Ghent, June 28 - July 1.
  • Guardiano, Cristina, Dimitris Michelioudaki, Metin Bagriacik, and Ioanna Sitaridou. Microvariation in the syntax of demonstratives: the role of contact. 37th Annual Meeting of the Department of Linguistics, Thessaloniki, May 12-14.
  • Guardiano, Cristina, Dimitris Michelioudakis, Ioanna Sitaridou, Monica Alexandrina Irimia, Giuseppe Longobardi, Nina Radkevich, Andrea Ceolin, and Giuseppina Silvestri. Measuring syntactic diversity in Southern Italy: a microparametric approach. 46th Linguistic Symposium on Romance Languages (LSRL46), Stony Brook, March 29 - April 3.
  • Guardiano, Cristina, Dimitris Michelioudakis, Andrea Ceolin, Giuseppe Longobardi, Nina Radkevich, Monica Alexandrina Irimia, Ioanna Sitaridou, and Giuseppina Silvestri. A parametric approach to dialect classification: microvariation in Southern Italy. 42° Incontro di Grammatica Generativa (IGG42), Lecce, February 18-20.
  • Irimia, Monica Alexandrina. Indirect evidentials and TAM: more arguments for the Sentience Domain Projection. WCCFL 34 (West Coast Conference on Formal Linguistics). Salt Lake City, May 1.
  • Irimia, Monica Alexandrina. Indirect evidential and TAM: more argument for the Sentience Domain Projection. GLOW 39 (Generative Linguistics in the Old World). Workshop on Syntactic and Phonological Representation of Speech Acts. Götingen, April 8.
  • Irimia, Monica Alexandrina. [with Sonia Cyrino]. Syntactic positions for DOM. CamCos 5 (Cambridge Comparative Syntax). Cambridge, May 6.
  • Irimia, Monica Alexandrina, and Cristina Guardiano. When DOM is obligatory. Going Romance 35, Frankfurt. December 8.
  • Irimia, Monica Alexandrina, and Cristina Guardiano. When DOM is obligatory: (equality) comparatives. Formal Approaches to Romance Microvariation, University of Bucharest. November 26.
  • Irimia, Monica Alexandrina [with Virginia Hill]. Unergative frames for non-argument SE verbs. A case study. LSRL 46 (Linguistic Symposium on Romance Languages). Stony Brook University. April 3.
  • Kim, Shin-Sook, and Nina Radkevich. Genitive Case Drop in Korean as Compounding. Nominals Workshop, Recife, March 17–18.
  • Longobardi, Giuseppe, Cristina Guardiano, Monica Alexandrina Irimia, Guido Cordoni, Andrea Ceolin, Dimitar Kazakov, Shin-Sook Kim, Dimitris Michelioudakis, Nina Radkevich, Stefania Sarno, Andrea Brunelli, Guido Barbujani, Davide Pettener. Language history and population diversity, XLI Convegno Annuale della Società Italiana di Glottologia, Perugia, December 1–3.
  • Longobardi, Giuseppe, Andrea Ceolin, Guido Cordoni, Cristina Guardiano, Monica Alexandrina Irimia, Dimitar Kazakov, Shin-Sook Kim, Dimitris Michelioudakis, and Nina Radkevich. Syntactic theory and the science of (language) history. The 11th Poznań Linguistic Meeting (PLM11), Poznan, September 15–17.
  • Longobardi, Giuseppe, Dimitris Michelioudakis, Cristina Guardiano, Monica Alexandrina Irimia, Nina Radkevich, Shin-Sook Kim, Guido Cordoni, Andrea Ceolin, and Dimitar Kazakov. Syntactic theory and the science of (language) history. The 2016 Annual Meeting of the Linguistics Association of Great Britain (LAGB), University of York, September 6–9.
  • Longobardi, Giuseppe, Armin Buch, Andrea Ceolin, Aaron Ecay, Cristina Guardiano, Monica Alexandrina Irimia, Dimitris Michelioudakis, Nina Radkevich, and Gerhard Jäger. Correlated evolution or not? Phylogenetic linguistics with syntactic, cognacy, and phonetic data. The 11th International Conference on the Evolution of Language (EVOLANG), New Orleans, March 20–24.
  • Michelioudakis, Dimitris. Unifying the syntax of overt and implicit evaluation. The 2016 Annual Meeting of the Linguistics Association of Great Britain (LAGB), University of York, September 6-9.
  • Michelioudakis, Dimitris. [with Filomena Sandalo]. Classifiers and Plurality: Evidence from a deictic classifier language, CamCos 5 (Cambridge Comparative Syntax), Cambridge University, May 6.
  • Michelioudakis, Dimitris. [with Giorgos Spathas]. The scope of additive operators: An argument for syntactic event decomposition, GLOW 39 (Generative Linguistics in the Old World), Göttingen, April 5.
  • Michelioudakis, Dimitris. [with Giorgos Spathas]. The scope of additive operators: An argument for syntactic event decomposition, 42° Incontro di Grammatica Generativa (IGG42), Lecce, February 18–20.
  • Michelioudakis, Dimitris. [with Giorgos Spathas and Stergios Chatzikyriakidis]. Prepositional genitives in northern Greek beyond suppletion. 7th International Conference on Modern Greek Dialects and Linguistic Theory (MGDLT7), Retymno (Crete), October 6–8.
  • Radkevich, Nina. The bracketing paradox in the Russian verbal system: a view from suppletion. Formal Description of Slavic Languages. Berlin, December 8–10.
  • Radkevich, Nina. Case mismatch in gapping and ellipsis in Lak. NELS 47, UMass, October 14–16.
  • Radkevich, Nina. On the locus of case licensing in Lak. The 2016 Annual Meeting of the Linguistics Association of Great Britain (LAGB), University of York, September 6-9.
  • Radkevich, Nina. Deverbal nominalizations in Lak and case licensing. CamCos5 (Cambridge Comparative Syntax), Cambridge University, May 6.
  • Radkevich, Nina. Deverbal nominalizations in Lak and case licensing. Nominals Workshop, Recife, March 17–18.

2015

  • Ceolin, Andrea [with Giuseppe Longobardi, Aaron Ecay, Luca Bortolussi, Cristina Guardiano, Monica-Alexandrina Irimia, Dimitris Michelioudakis, Nina Radkevich, Andrea Sgarro]. On the mathematics of parametric comparison. Workshop on Capturing Phylogenetic Algorithms for Linguistics. Leiden, October 27.
  • Ceolin Andrea. [with Giuseppe Longobardi, Aaron Ecay, Cristina Guardiano, Monica-Alexandrina Irimia, Nina Radkevich]. Algorithmic generation of random languages argues for syntax as a source of phylogenetic information. Biolinguistic Investigations on the Language Faculty. Pavia, January 26.
  • Ceolin Andrea. [with Cristina Guardiano, Giuseppe Longobardi, Guido Barbujani, Silvia Ghirotto]. Across Language Families: Genome Diversity Mirrors Linguistic Variation Within Europe. Biolinguistic Investigations on the language faculty. Pavia, January 26.
  • Guardiano, Cristina. [with Melita Stavrou]. Adjective-noun combination in Romance and Greek of Southern Italy. Polydefiniteness revisited.
  • Guardiano, Cristina. [with Dimitris Michelioudakis, Andrea Ceolin, Monica-Alexandrina Irimia, Giuseppe Longobardi, Nina Radkevich, Giuseppina Silvestri, Ioanna Sitaridou]. South by Southeast. 12th International Conference on Greek Linguistics (ICGL 12). Berlin, September 16-19.
  • Guardiano, Cristina. South by Southeast. Workshop on Diachronic Syntax and Modern Parametric Theory. 22nd International Conference on Historical Linguistics. Naples, July 31.
  • Guardiano, Cristina. [with Dimitris Michelioudakis, Andrea Ceolin, Monica-Alexandrina Irimia, Giuseppe Longobardi, Nina Radkevich, Giuseppina Silvestri, Ioanna Sitaridou]. South by Southeast. Leiden. IDM (Italian Dialects Meeting) 2015 and CIDSM (Cambridge Italian Dialects Syntax Meeting) X. Leiden, June 22-24.
  • Guardiano, Cristina. [with Chiara Bozzone]. ο η το in Homer: Tracking the Spread of a Syntactic Innovation. Colloquium on Ancient Greek Linguistics. Rome, March 23-27.
  • Guardiano, Cristina. [with Melita Stavrou]. Adjective-Noun combinations in the Greek of Italy. Polydefiniteness revisited. Perugia, IGG 41 (Incontro di Grammatica Generativa), poster presentation. February 26-28.
  • Irimia, Monica-Alexandrina. V-extension strategies. Workshop on Differential Object Marking. Societas Linguistica Europaea 48. Leiden, September 3.
  • Irimia, Monica-Alexandrina. [with Aaron Ecay, Cristina Guardiano, Andrea Ceolin, Giuseppe Longobardi, Dimitris Michelioudakis, Nina Radkevich, Luca Bortolussi, Andrea Sgarro]. On the mathematics of parametric comparison. Workshop on Parameters in Diachronic Syntax. Societas Linguistica Europaea 48. Leiden, September 5.
  • Irimia, Monica-Alexandrina. [with Sonia Cyrino]. Specificity in DOM: the case of Brazilian Portuguese and Romanian. Conference on Differential object marking in Romance. INALCO (Institut National des Langues and Civilisations Orientales). Paris, June 18.
  • Irimia, Monica-Alexandrina. [with Giuseppe Longobardi, Dimitris Michelioudakis, and Nina Radkevich]. Case, PRO-features and nominal linkers: evidence from Romanian genitives. Main Session of LSRL 45 (Linguistic Symposium on Romance Languages), UNICAMP, Campinas, São Paulo, May 9.
  • Irimia, Monica-Alexandrina. Evidentials as a separate class: the view from Romanian. Main Session of LSRL 45 (Linguistic Symposium on Romance Languages), UNICAMP, Campinas, São Paulo, May 8.
  • Irimia, Monica-Alexandrina. Adjectival embedded predicates and restructuring. Main Session of GLOW 38 (Generative Linguistics in the Old World), Paris, April 18.
  • Irimia, Monica-Alexandrina. Adjectival embedded predicates and restructuring. Main Session of WCCFL 33 (West Coast Conference on Formal Linguistics), Vancouver, British Columbia, March 27.
  • Irimia, Monica-Alexandrina. Differential object marking: problems and paths towards unification. New Historical Linguistics Workshop, UNICAMP, Campinas, São Paulo, March 9-13.
  • Irimia, Monica-Alexandrina. [with Giuseppe Longobardi, Dimitris Michelioudakis, and Nina Radkevich]. Genitive parameters. University of Cambridge, January 25.
  • Longobardi, Giuseppe. [with Andrea Ceolin, Aaron Ecay, Cristina Guardiano, Monica-Alexandrina Irimia, Nina Radkevich]. Algorithmic generation of random languages argues for syntax as a source of phylogenetic information. DiGS 17 (Diachronic Generative Syntax). Reykjavik, May 31 (poster).
  • Longobardi, Giuseppe. [with Andrea Ceolin, Aaron Ecay, Cristina Guardiano, Monica-Alexandrina Irimia, Nina Radkevich]. Algorithmic generation of random languages argues for syntax as a source of phylogenetic information. Workshop on Language Variation and Change and Cultural Evolution. University of York, York. February 14.
  • Michelioudakis, Dimitris. Classifiers and plurality: Evidence from a deictic classifier language. 11th International Symposium of Cognition, Logic and Communication. Number: Cognitive, Semantic and Crosslinguistic Approaches, University of Latvia, Riga, December 10–11. (with Filomena Sandalo)
  • Michelioudakis, Dimitris. Thematically conditioned asymmetries: Maragoli vs. Greek. Linguistic Association of Great Britain (LAGB) meeting, UCL, London, September 15-18, at the thematic session on A-/A’- asymmetries in the syntax of ditransitives, organised by A. Holmberg and M. Sheehan.
  • Michelioudakis, Dimitris. Informativeness-sensitive particles: ντε and δα in Modern Greek. paper presented at 12th International Conference on Greek Linguistics (ICGL 12), Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany, September 16-19.
  • Michelioudakis, Dimitris. [with Stergios Chatzikyriakidis and Giorgos Spathas]. The emergence of prepositional genitives in Greveniotika Greek. 12th International Conference on Greek Linguistics (ICGL 12), Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, September 16-19.
  • Michelioudakis, Dimitris. [with Stergios Chatzikyriakidis]. On the syntax of association with focus in Greek. 12th International Conference on Greek Linguistics (ICGL 12), Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, September 16-19.
  • Michelioudakis, Dimitris. The (dis)association between classifiers and anaphora: the case of nG in Kadiweu. DETEC 2015, University of Alberta, June.
  • Michelioudakis, Dimitris. [with Giorgos Spathas]. Detecting Result Phrases with additive ke. 22nd International Symposium on Theoretical and Applied Linguistics (ISTAL22), Thessaloniki, April 23-25.
  • Michelioudakis, Dimitris. [with Andrea Ceolin, Cristina Guardiano, Giuseppe Longobardi, Giuseppina Silvestri and Ioanna Sitaridou]. Greek and Romance in Southern Italy: a syntactic phylogeny. Annual Meeting on Greek Linguistics (AMGL 36), Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, April 23-25.
  • Michelioudakis, Dimitris. Applying the Parametric Comparison Method to the Native Languages of South America: Challenges and Prospects. New Historical Linguistics Workshop, UNICAMP, Campinas, São Paulo, March 9-13.
  • Radkevich, Nina. Genitive Case Drop in Korean as Compounding. WAFL 11, University of York, York, UK, June 5.
  • Michelioudakis, Dimitris. [with N. Angelopoulos]. PP-licensing and Compounding: Evidence for Prepositions as Probes”, IGG 41 (Incontro di Grammatica Generativa). Perugia, February 26-28.
  • Radkevich, Nina. Genitive Case Drop in Korean as Compounding. WAFL 11, University of York, York, UK, June 5.

2014

  • Guardiano, Cristina. Microvariation across nominal structures in Southern Italian Romance. A parametric approach. Going Romance. Lisbon, December 6.
  • Guardiano, Cristina. Formal Theories and the Analysis of Ancient Languages: Definite Articles in Ancient Greek. Twenty-Sixth Annual UCLA Indo-European Conference. Los Angeles, October 24-25.
  • Guardiano, Cristina. [with Melita Stavrou]. Greek dialects in Southern Italy: nominal syntax between Greek and Romance? 6th International Conference on Modern Greek Dialects and Linguistic Theory (MGDLT6) Patras, September 24-28.
  • Irimia, Monica-Alexandrina. [with Giuseppe Longobardi, Dimitris Michelioudakis, and Nina Radkevich]. Case, PRO-features and nominal linkers: evidence from Romanian genitives. Going Romance, Lisbon, December 4.
  • Irimia Monica-Alexandrina. [with Giuseppe Longobardi, Dimitris Michelioudakis, and Nina Radkevich]. Romanian genitives and linkers. International Workshop on Language Variation and Change and Cultural Evolution. University of York, November 14.
  • Irimia, Monica-Alexandrina. Specificity, shared arguments and secondary predicates. Conference Specificity in the Grammar. University of Trento, Trento, February.
  • Michelioudakis, Dimitris. [with Giorgos Spathas]. Focus association and scope over Result Phrases. Athens workshop on semantics and the syntax-semantics interface. University of Athens, December 19.
    Michelioudakis, Dimitris. Diagnosing implicit arguments: verbal and nominal passives in Greek. Linguistic Association of Great Britain (LAGB) Annual Meeting, University of Oxford, September 1-5.
  • Radkevich, Nina. Lak nominal allomorphy. NELS 45. MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA. November 1
  • Radkevich, Nina. [with Maria Polinsky]. Demystifying Archi agreement. Agreement 2014: defining and mapping agreement. York, July 31.
  • Radkevich, Nina. Biabsolutives in Nakh-Dagestanian. Cambridge-York Comparative Syntax Workshop 2.
    York, February.
  • Radkevich, Nina and Maria Polinksy. Biabsolutives in Archi. Workshop: biabsolutive challenges: theories and typologies, LSA Annual meeting, Minneapolis, MN, January.
  • Radkevich, Nina, Annie Gagliardi, Michael Goncalves, and Maria Polinsky. The biabsolutive in Nakh-Dagestanian: syntax and Learnability. LSA Annual meeting, Minneapolis, MN, January.

2013

  • Ghirotto, Silvia, and Giuseppe Longobardi. Across language families: explorations in genomic and linguistic variation in Europe. Advances in Phylogenetic Linguistics, Ragusa Ibla, July.
  • Guardiano, Cristina, Giuseppe Longobardi, Andrea Ceolin, Giuseppina Silvestri, Luca Bortolussi, Andrea Sgarro. The historical reality of parametric variation. Towards a Theory of Syntactic Variation. Bilbao, June.
  • Guardiano, Cristina, Giuseppe Longobardi, Andrea Ceolin, Giuseppina Silvestri, Luca Bortolussi, Andrea Sgarro. The historical reality of biolinguistic diversity. 36th Generative Linguistics in the Old World Colloquium (GLOW 36). Lund, April.
  • Irimia, Monica-Alexandrina. Inherent but structural. Canadian Linguistic Association. University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, June.
  • Irimia, Monica-Alexandrina. How to be specific: a cross linguistic picture of shared arguments and secondary predicates. Secondary predicates in Formal Frameworks. Utrecht, May.
  • Irimia, Monica-Alexandrina. Specific evidence: differential objects and (non-adjunct) secondary predicates. Workshop on Differential Object Marking. Tromsø, May.
  • Irimia, Monica-Alexandrina and Laifa Li. Stative resultatives. Penn Linguistics Colloquium, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, March. (poster presentation)
  • Irimia, Monica-Alexandrina. Inherent but structural. 39th Incontro di Grammatica Generativa. Modena and Reggio Emilia, February.
  • Longobardi, Giuseppe. The historical reality of parametric variation. Advances in Phylogenetic Linguistics, Ragusa Ibla, July.
  • Longobardi, Giuseppe, and Davide Pettener. Storie di Geni e Lingue. Presentation at Auditorium S.Teresa, Ragusa Ibla, Ragusa Ibla, July.
  • Michelioudakis, Dimitris [in collaboration with the York Langelin team]. Nominal parameters and parameter schemata. 1st Cambridge-York Comparative Syntax (CoSy) Meeting. Cambridge, December.
  • Michelioudakis, Dimitris. Diagnosing arbitrary and implicit arguments. 11th ICGL (International Conference on Greek Linguistics), University of the Aegean, Rhodes, September.
  • Michelioudakis, Dimitris and Nikos Angelopoulos.. Thematic and event structure in synthetic compounds and AS-nominals. 11th ICGL (International Conference on Greek Linguistics), University of the Aegean, Rhodes, September.
  • Michelioudakis, Dimitris. Parameterising dative arguments: the generalised applicative hypothesis. Workshop: Towards a Theory of Syntactic Variation. Bilbao, June.
  • Radkevich, Nina. Biabsolutive construction in Nakh-Dagestanian: unity and diversity. Association of Linguistic Typology Meeting (ALT) 10, Leipzig University, Leipzig, August.
  • Radkevich, Nina and Maria Polinky. Agreement between XP: the invisible v's. Little v Workshop, Leiden University, Leiden, October.