Project description
Why languages start changing: the nanosyntax of case in Balkan languages
All languages change over time. Yet, explaining why a certain change happens in a particular language at a particular time and place still remains one of the hardest unresolved problems in historical linguistics despite more than 200 years of study, known as the actuation problem. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the TRACES project aims to investigate how internal and external factors influence actuation. Specifically, it will study structural changes in four Indo-European branches: Albanian, Greek, Balkan Romance and Balkan Slavic. These languages have developed new definiteness marking while losing traditional case forms, resulting in case syncretism. The project will provide a grounded explanation of these changes, drawing on insights from nanosyntax and geolinguistic data.
Objective
All languages change over time, but despite over two centuries of systematic scientific study of language change, there is still no theoretically satisfying explanation as to why and how particular change happens in a certain language at a certain point in time, which is known as the Actuation problem in historical linguistics. The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship TRACES investigates the role of internal and external factors in solving the Actuation problem, by looking at a structural change in case systems of four Indo-European branches (Albanian, Greek, Balkan Romance, and Balkan Slavic) that have converged as a result of prolonged historical contact affecting their nominal morphosyntax. Namely, all four branches constituting the Balkan convergence area have preserved or developed innovative definiteness marking on nouns while, in turn, having lost or significantly reduced the inventory of inherited morphological case forms in systemic, parallel ways, thus exhibiting case syncretism. Building on one of the most exciting findings in the recent theoretical literature, that case syncretism patterns can be modelled by reference to a single Case hierarchy, TRACES combines insights from a decompositional approach to case, within the theoretical framework of Nanosyntax, with geolinguistic tools and methods, using rich empirical data from the Balkans, in order to reconstruct the factors behind this contact-induced structural change and, for the first time, provide a theoretically grounded explanation for the Actuation problem. In turn, the theory, which is still by large synchronically oriented, will be enriched with an explicit formal diachronic account, based on a novel corpus of underrepresented data, including some of the empirical data that is challenging for the existing theory.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
You need to log in or register to use this function
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
-
HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
MAIN PROGRAMME
See all projects funded under this programme
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
See all projects funded under this funding scheme
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF
See all projects funded under this callCoordinator
Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
601 77 Brno
Czechia
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.