Silent Arguments Workshop
Theme: Pro-drop and argument ellipsis in theory, acquisition and diachrony

Date: 15-Oct-2026 – 16-Oct-2026
Location: Konstanz, Germany
Contact: George Walkden
Contact Email: george.walkden@uni-konstanz.de
Meeting URL: https://www.sfb1760.uni-konstanz.de/talks-and-events/workshops-and-conferences/pro-drop-across-languages-and-time/

Linguistic Field(s): Historical Linguistics; Language Acquisition; Syntax; Typology

Submission Deadline: 30-Apr-2026

Nearly half a century has passed since the earliest formulations of the Null Subject Parameter in generative linguistics. In that time, much has been discovered about how and when arguments may remain silent cross-linguistically, but much remains unclear. The aim of this workshop is to take stock of what has been learned, and to propose new ideas and new directions for the study of what have variously been called “null” or “unexpressed” arguments, “pro-drop”, “argument ellipsis” and more. We welcome papers dealing with the following general questions:

– Syntactic theory: can one mechanism derive all apparently silent arguments, or do we need more than one (e.g. true pro-drop vs. argument ellipsis)? What role do interface properties, e.g. information structure or prosody, play in determining silence?
– Acquisition: silent elements have been characterized as difficult for learners, yet a majority of the world’s languages allow silent arguments. Which silent elements are difficult for which learners, and why?
– Diachrony: is there a “null argument cycle”? Under what circumstances are silent arguments gained or lost in language history, and (how) does this relate to who is acquiring them?
– Typology: since not all languages allow silent arguments under the same conditions, what do we need to know about a language in order to characterize its typological profile as regards silent arguments?

Invited Speakers:

Rajesh Bhatt (UMass)
Antonio Fábregas (NTNU Trondheim)
Anikó Lipták (Leiden)
Nerea Madariaga (University of the Basque Country)
Roland Meyer (HU Berlin)
Maria Polinsky (Maryland)
Hedde Zeijlstra (Göttingen)

This workshop is organised as part of the Collaborative Research Centre “Silence, Noise and Signal in Language” at the University of Konstanz, which investigates the role of silence and noise in our capacity for perceiving, learning and producing linguistic signals (https://www.sfb1760.uni-konstanz.de/)

Abstracts should be no more than two pages in length, with 2.5-cm/1-inch margins and 12-point text, including figures, examples and references. They should be submitted as PDF attachments via email to george.walkden@uni-konstanz.de. Deadline for abstract submission is 30th April 2026.