LINGUISTIC ASSOCIATION OF CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES (LACUS)
ASSOCIATION DE LINGUISTIQUE DU CANADA ET DES ETAS-UNIS (ALCEU)

THE TWENTY-SEVENTH LACUS FORUM

To Be Held at RICE UNIVERSITY, Houston, Texas

July 25-29, 2000

CONFERENCE THEME: SPEAKING AND COMPREHENDING

Featured Speakers:
        David McNeill, University of Chicago
        Marianne Mithun, University of California, Santa Barbara
        Michel Paradis, McGill University (presidential address)
        Sherman Wilcox, University of New Mexico

Tutorial:
        Automated Production and Recognition of Speech:
                Problems and Solutions
   Tuesday, July 25, 1:30 - 5:00
   To be presented by
        Dr. Nancy Niedzielski,
        Assistant Professor of Linguistics, Rice University
        Consultant, Panasonic Technologies, Inc.


CALL FOR PAPERS
   While papers relating to the conference theme are especially
invited, abstracts are welcomed on all subjects in linguistics and
interdisciplinary areas involving language. Papers accepted for the
program will be scheduled for either 15 minutes or 25 minutes, with
5 minutes allowed for discussion. This list of topics relating to
the theme is intended as suggestive rather than comprehensive:

  Sequence Management
  The Mental Lexicon in Action
  Parallel vis-à-vis Serial Processing
  Factors Governing Choice of Lexeme
  Factors Governing Choice of Syntactic Construction
  The Linguistic Encoding of Complex Processes (e.g., of motion)
  Testing Grammatical/Phonological Descriptions for Operational Plausibility
  Phonological Information in Speaking and Comprehending: One System or Two?
  Grammatical Information in Speaking and Comprehending: One System or Two?
  Experimental Phonetic Evidence for the Process of Speech Production
  Experimental Evidence for the Process of Speech Recognition
  The Role of Speaking/Comprehending in Linguistic Change
  Conceptual Categories and Lexical Categories in Action
  Computer Simulation of Production/Comprehension
  Pragmatic Factors in Speaking and Understanding
  The Role of World Knowledge in Comprehending
  Individual Variation in Interpretation of Discourse
  Slips of Tongue and Mind in Speech Production
  Formulation Processes in Language Production
  Production/Comprehension of Sign Language
  Production/Interpretation of Poetic Discourse
  Slips in Comprehending: Misunderstanding
  Speech Production of the Developing Child
  Producing and Interpreting Metaphors
  The Use of Gestures in Speaking
  Automated Speech Recognition
  Automated Speech Synthesis
  Negotiating Discourse Topics
  The Process of Translating
  Lexicalization
  Conversation


GUIDELINES FOR ABSTRACTS

Maximum length: 450 words (not including references). The abstract
                should fit on one 8 1/2"x11" page. (If references
                do not fit on the page, they may be put on a
                separate page, but in that case they will not
                appear in the meeting handbook.)

Anonymity:      The abstract should not identify the author(s).

Topic Designation:  At top of page (at upper left, above the
                title), name a  topic (or two topics) to identify
                the area(s) in which your paper lies. Choose a
                topic name from the list above if appropriate, or
                feel free to name Another topic if none of those
                on the list fits properly, or if you are submitting
                an abstract that does not fit the conference theme.

What to Submit: Submit abstracts via e-mail. Send also 3 camera-
                ready copies via snail mail (entire abstract on
                a single page, with wide margins - see above), for
                reproduction in the meeting handbook, along with
                information card (see below). Those without access
                to e-mail should send16 hard copies via snail mail.

Where to Submit: Lois Stanford, Chair, LACUS Conference Committee
                 Linguistics Department, 4-36A Assiniboia Hall
                 University of Alberta
                 Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E7, Canada

                 lois.stanford@ualberta.ca

Due Date:       15 January 2000


DESIRABLE PROPERTIES OF ABSTRACTS
  Evaluators of abstracts will appreciate your attention to these
desiderata:
        Informative but brief title
        Clear statement of the problem or questions addressed
        Clear statement of the main point(s) or argument(s)
        Informative examples
        Clear indication of relevance to related work
        Avoidance of jargon
        References to literature (not included in 400-word limit)

INFORMATION CARD
   Also send by snail mail (with the 3 hard copies) a 3x5" card
with the following information:

        Name(s)
        E-mail and snail-mail addresses (primary author only)
        Affiliation
        Telephone number (primary author)
        Title of paper
        Audio-visual equipment required (beyond overhead projector)
        Eligibility for prize (if applicable - see below)
        Time desired -- 15 or 25 minutes (plus discussion time)

SYMPOSIA
   Proposals for panels or special sessions are also welcome.
Please contact Lois Stanford or Syd Lamb right away with your ideas
(see addresses below).

PRESIDENTS' PRIZES
  Continuing a tradition started by former president Kenneth Pike,
a committee consisting of the President, the President-Elect,
and former Presidents of LACUS will select the winner of the annual
Presidents' Prize, with an award of $500, for 'the best paper' by
a junior scholar. For purposes of this prize, 'junior scholar' is
defined as one who has had a doctoral degree for less than ten
years and  has not yet attained a tenured position.

The Presidents' Predoctoral prize, with an award of $100, will be
given for 'the best paper' by a student who has not yet received
a doctor's degree.

For purposes of these prizes, 'best paper' is defined as that which
in the judgement of the committee makes the most important
contribution to knowledge. Organization and presentation may also
be considered.

The prizes will be awarded at the annual banquet, to be held at the
end of the meeting, Saturday, July 29th.

Only single-authored presentations will be considered.

Junior scholars and predoctoral scholars should identify their
status on the information card sent in with the hard-copy
abstracts, to indicate their eligibility for one of the prizes.

FINANCIAL AID
   Limited funds to assist scholars coming from countries with
weak currencies may be available.  For information contact the
Conference Committee Chair.

PUBLICATION
   Selected papers presented at the meeting will be published,
with appropriate revisions, in LACUS Forum XXVII.

VENUE
   Rice University is located in the heart of Houston, Texas,
bounded on the north and south by attractive residential areas,
on the west by the Rice Village, which contains a wide variety of
stores and restaurants, and on the east by Hermann Park (with a
large zoo) and the Texas Medical Center, the world's largest
medical center, which includes two leading medical schools.
Located nearby are the Houston Museum of Natural Science, the
Houston Museum of Fine Arts, and a museum of science and medicine.
A short distance away is the renowned Menil Collection.

For information on the University, see
        http://riceinfo.rice.edu.
For information on the Linguistics Department, see
        http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~ling/.

Houston is served by two airports, Bush Intercontinental Airport
and Hobby Airport. The latter is closer to the Rice campus, but
the former has more flights coming in and departing.

The largest city in Texas and the fourth largest in the United
States, Houston boasts many fine restaurants, which offer
ethnically diverse cuisines at reasonable prices. Several good
ones are located in the Rice Village, close to the university.
Near Houston is NASA, which provides many fine exhibits related
to the American space program.

Temperatures in July are usually hot in the afternoons (mid-
nineties Farenheit, mid-thirties Celcius), but all buildings on
campus and all hotels and restaurants are well air-conditioned.


ACCOMMODATIONS
   Hotel accommodations will be available at the edge of campus,
within easy walking distance to the conference rooms.
Accommodations will also be available on campus.

FURTHER INFORMATION
   The LACUS website will be updated frequently as further details
become available. See
        http://fricka.glendon.yorku.ca.8008/mcummings.nsf/.

Detailed information will be sent to all LACUS members and to
nonmember authors of accepted abstracts in March.

ADDRESS QUESTIONS about the conference to:
        Lois Stanford lois.stanford@ualberta.ca
        Syd Lamb <lamb@rice.edu

CONFERENCE COMMITTEE:
        Lois Stanford, University of Alberta, Chair
        Ruth Brend, Ann Arbor, Michigan
        Angela Della Volpe, California State University, Fullerton
        Sydney Lamb, Rice University (local arrangements chair)
        Michel Paradis, McGill University
        William Sullivan, University of Florida