Workshop at the 45th Annual Conference of the German Linguistic Society (DGfS) 2023

AG 04: Creativity and routine in linguistic feedback

Coordinators: Jana Hosemann, Anastasia Bauer, Sonja Gipper, Tobias-Alexander Herrmann (University of Cologne)

Time: 8^th – 10^th March 2023; Location: University of Cologne

Workshop Description:

Feedback is central to interaction. It is omnipresent in interpersonal communication and reflects interlocutors’ perception and monitoring of the success (or potential failure) of communication. Any given interaction is rife with feedback mechanisms, from interjections like huh? and exclamations like really? to verbal repetitions as well as smiles, frowns, nods, directed eye gaze and gestures. Feedback signals serve to coordinate interaction, direct the advancement of narrative, manage attention and establish common ground.

Looking at communicative interaction, the two fundamental forces creativity and routinization make language a highly flexible and adaptable communication system, offering routines for repair and managing trouble, as well as opening up avenues for innovative language use. Feedback signals play a central regulatory role within this interplay between individual skills and shared structures and norms, in line with creativity and routinization.

In this workshop, we want to gain an understanding and discuss topics that address feedback signals in the following contexts: (a) language- and individual-specific use of feedback cues in multimodal conversation interaction (e.g., head nods, eye gaze, gestures, interjections); (b) feedback signals in language acquisition contexts; (c) the potential impact of feedback mechanisms on linguistic structures; (d) feedback as a phenomenon beyond linguistics in “macroscopic” discourses on the level of institutions, societies and cultures.

We invite participants to present their research related to one of these or other relevant contexts and aim to gain new insights into the function of feedback signals in the interplay of linguistic creativity and routine.

Abstract submission:

– Abstracts should be at most 2 pages in length (max. 1 page of text, 12 pt, and a second page for images, examples and references).

– Title, name and affiliation should be included in the abstract.

– Talks will be 20 minutes + 10 minutes discussion.

– Please send your abstracts as PDF file electronically to: sslac-info@uni-koeln.de

Deadline for abstracts: September 12th, 2022

Notification: September 15th, 2022

Invited speakers:

Connie de Vos (Tilburg School of Humanities and Digital Science, Department Communication and Cognition)

Judith Holler (Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition & Behaviour, Radboud University & MPI, Nijmegen

We are very much looking forward to your submissions and to an exciting workshop,

Jana Hosemann, Anastasia Bauer, Sonja Gipper, & Tobias-Alexander Herrmann