EvalLang-2019: Evaluative Language Ecole Normale Superieure Paris, France, May 6-7, 2019 |
Conference website | http://republique-des-savoirs.fr/?event=3738 |
Submission link | https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=evallang2019 |
Abstract registration deadline | January 10, 2019 |
Submission deadline | January 10, 2019 |
Workshop on Evaluative Language
Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris, 6-7 May 2019
Language is replete with evaluative expressions; 'good', 'bad', 'terrible', 'awesome' are such expressions par excellence. In addition to such all-purpose evaluatives, many expressions with rich descriptive contents also convey evaluation. Aesthetic, moral and epistemic vocabulary largely consists of thick terms such as 'harmonious', 'cruel' or 'justified', which not only serve to describe things but also to say something positive or negative about the things so described. What is more, many words that are not evaluative in virtue of their meaning can nevertheless be used to convey evaluation. For example, to characterize a proposal as "ambitious" or "intense" can convey something good or bad about it, depending on the context. One could even conjecture that any given expression may be used, in a suitable context, as an evaluative device.
How a piece of discourse or text gets to be endowed with evaluative content is a complex and hotly debated issue. When does evaluation reside in semantic content? When is it a matter of pragmatics? How do the various pragmatic mechanisms (presupposition, implicature, free enrichment, intonation, and so on) enable language to express and convey values? Questions such as these are receiving a growing interest in philosophy of language, linguistics, aesthetics, meta-ethics and value-theory. Last but not least, the ubiquity of evaluative content in language has serious practical implications. Among other, it underlies phenomena such as propaganda, hate speech, stereotyping and verbal oppression.
This workshop brings together researchers from different horizons, with the aim of gaining a better understanding of evaluative language and its complexities.
Submission Guidelines
Contributions are invited on all pertinent subjects, with particular interest in cross-disciplinary topics. Typical but not exclusive topics are: the semantics of evaluative terms, thick terms, moral, aesthetic and epistemic terms, pejoratives, slurs, oppressive language, hate speech. Submissions should take the form of an abstract that does not exceed 1500 words, double spaced and 12pt font. Abstracts should be anonymous. Abstracts will be evaluated by a selection composed by members of La Republique des Savoir and presided by the Guest Program Chair.
Committees
Guest Program Chair
- Isidora Stojanovic (Institut Jean Nicod, CNRS, ENS, PSL Research University)
Organizing Committee
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Monique Canto-Sperber (CNRS, République des Savoirs, ENS/CdF)
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Stéphane Lemaire (Université de Rennes)
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Equipe philosophie morale et normative, Laboratoire République des Savoirs
Invited Speakers
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Heather Burnett (LLF, CNRS-Université Paris Diderot)
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Mary Kate McGowan (Wellesley College)
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Julia Zakkou (Freie Universität Berlin
Venue
Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris
Contact
isidora.stojanovic@ens.fr