new reflections on grammaticalization universitat potsdam am neuen palais 10 , 14469 potsdam pd dr . ilse wischer institut fur anglistik / amerikanistik universitat potsdam , postfach 601553 , 14415 potsdam sekr . : ( + 49 ) 0331-977 - 2524 tel . : ( + 49 ) 0331-977 - 2533 fax : ( + 49 ) 0331-977 - 2069 e-mail : wischer @ rz . uni-potsdam . de call for papers april 1998 new reflections on grammaticalization an international symposium at potsdam university 17-19 june 1999 since meillet 's first mentioning of the term grammaticalization in 1912 several generations of scholars have contributed to a better understanding of this process of linguistic change . recent studies are closely connected with the names of paul hopper and elizabeth traugott . further major impulses came from a number of works in cologne , from an international symposium at the university of oregon at eugene in 1988 , or from empirical research based on computer corpora edited in a collective volume by matti rissanen et al . numerous publications and conference contributions in the last ten years have revealed a growing interest in the theory of grammaticalization . people have worked on several topics reaching from theoretical investigations on its status with respect to various theories of grammar up to its practical application to linguistic phenomena in many languages of the world . this has led , on the one hand , to new insights and a deeper understanding , it has also revealed , however , new questions that call for an answer and require further research . the aim of this symposium is to bring together scholars who are working in this area to present their findings and discuss such topics as e . g . whether there are two different types of grammaticalization , one on the propositional level and another one on the discourse level , whether there are convincing examples of the reversability of grammaticalization , what kind of relationship holds between grammaticalization and lexicalization , or which internal and external factors can accelerate or retard grammaticalization . papers are invited on all aspects related to grammaticalization in its synchronic or diachronic perspective , with respect to theoretical reflections or practical findings . studies based on linguistic phenomena in english are particularly welcome . academic programme : opening lecture : christian lehmann , university of bielefeld , germany plenary lectures ( so far ) : joan bybee , university of new mexico , united states talmy givn , university of oregon , united states bernd heine , university of cologne , germany ekkehard knig , free university berlin , germany social programme : there will be a conference dinner , a guided tour through the city of potsdam including a visit of one of its famous castles , a visit of the potsdam film studios or a boat tour on the havel . details about the social programme will be given in the 2nd circular . accomodation : accomodation will be in hotels in town at conference rates . a limited number of moderately priced rooms will be available in the guest house of the university . you will have to book the rooms on your own , mentioning your participation in the symposium . addresses will be given in the 2nd circular . about the city of potsdam and potsdam university : in 1993 brandenburg s capital celebrated the 1000th anniversary of its founding . potsdam 's distinctive appearance began to emerge when the town became the residence of prussian royalty . to this day the capital attracts many visitors . the grounds of the three royal parks , the palace of sans souci and the new palace , schinkel 's charlottenhof , an architectural gem , the cecilienhof palace as well as numerous churches and italianate villas continue to charm visitors today . cafs , restaurants , museums and galeries are an integral part of the capital 's unique cityscape . among 140 , 000 potsdamers , there are 11 , 000 university students , most of whom live in halls of residence on the outskirts of town . potsdam 's location could not be more ideal for leisure time activities : it is surrounded by forests , lakes and rivers and a short commuter train ride takes you to the nation 's nearby capital , berlin . since the last century , potsdam has been a centre for research in the natural sciences . today potsdam is again the home of respected research institutes . for a few years now it has also been a university town . the university of potsdam was founded on 15 july 1991 . located on three campuses - am neuen palais , golm and potsdam - babelsberg - the university absorbed most of the staff of brandenburg state college ( previously the potsdam college of education ) and a few members of the staff of the college of law and administration ( previously the academy of government and law of the gdr , dissolved in 1990 )