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nternational workshop on:"GRADUALNESS IN CHANGE AND ITS RELATION TO SYNCHRONIC VARIATION AND USE"Pavia (Italy), 30-31 May 2011Workshop URL: https://sites.google.com/site/workshoppavia2011/------------------------DESCRIPTION:The workshop  aims to contribute to the discussion on the factors at play in  diachronic change and to investigate the relationship between diachronic  gradualness and synchronic variation, integrating the current views on  linguistic variation and language use.Special attention will be devoted to theoretical and  methodological issues concerning i) how the study of language change can  benefit from the most recent achievements in linguistic theories and  ii) how the explanations of synchronic variation may be found in  diachronic processes, discussing whether diachronic gradualness and  synchronic variation may be analyzed through the same lenses and by  means of the same theoretical instruments.Furthermore, the workshop also wants to address the question  of the impact of contact on linguistic change. Language contact may  indeed be seen as a special type of synchronic phenomenon that may last  in time and may gradually lead to diachronic change, triggering or  influencing the development of particular constructions in neighbouring  languages.INVITED SPEAKERS:Olga Fischer (University of Amsterdam):---- Topic: On the role of analogy in processes of language changeBéatrice Lamiroy (University of Leuven):---- Topic: The pace of grammaticalization in Romance languagesGraeme Trousdale (University of Edinburgh):---- Topic: Diachronic construction grammar and gradualness in language changeJohan van der Auwera (University of Antwerp):----- Topic: On diachronic semantic mapsThe workshop will also accommodate four contributions from the  project members (t.b.a) on the effects of contact and interference  within the macro-geographic-area of the Mediterranean.CALL FOR PAPERS:Authors  are invited to submit a one-page abstract, keeping in mind that the  slot for their communication will last 40 min. including discussion.Abstracts should be anonymous and should be sent as attachments in PDF format to: gradualness.workshop@gmail.com.Author(s)  name(s) and affiliation should be indicated in the corpus of the  e-mail. The abstracts will be anonimously reviewed by two members of the  Scientific Committee.Besides theoretical issues, the exam of specific  examples and the description of general patterns will also be welcome.  Topics of interest include:• what kind of factors trigger the grammaticalization processes•  the relation of grammaticalization to other mechanisms of language change such as reanalysis and analogy• the relationship between synchronic variation and grammatical change• the interaction between frequency, entrenchment and use• the possibility of multiple source constructions in language change• the role of language contact in grammatical change•  how particular diachronic phenomena may be analyzed in the light of the  most recent linguistic theories (e.g. construction grammar)• diachronic explanations for synchronic patterns of variation•  …..IMPORTANT DATES:Deadline for submission: 10 February 2011Notification of acceptance 10 March 2011ORGANIZERS AND CONTACT:Anna Giacalone Ramat - annaram (at) unipv.itCaterina Mauri - caterina.mauri (at) unipv.itPiera Molinelli - piera.molinelli (at) unibg.itFor any questions and for submissions, please write to gradualness.workshop@gmail.comSCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE:Pierluigi  Cuzzolin (University of Bergamo), Chiara Fedriani (University of  Pavia), Chiara Ghezzi (University of Pavia), Anna Giacalone Ramat  (University of Pavia), Gianguido Manzelli (University of Pavia),  Caterina Mauri (University of Pavia), Piera Molinelli (University of  Bergamo), Paolo Ramat (IUSS Institute), Andrea Sansò (Insubria  University - Como), Federica Venier (University of Bergamo)