Conference: Abstract and Item-Specific Knowledge Across Domains and Frameworks

This conference brings together scholars from different areas of language science around the theme of item-specific and abstract knowledge. It is widely acknowledged that users of all languages know both specific facts about their language (e.g., word-specific patterns), and know general rules of their language that they use to adapt to new linguistic situations (e.g., new words they have not heard before).

However, current linguistic theories typically prioritize explaining one type of knowledge over the other, and there is not yet a good understanding of how the two different types of knowledge co-exist and relate to one another. This conference brings together researchers with wide-ranging expertise and perspectives for a focused discussion to help advance a scientific understanding of how humans represent and use both types of knowledge.

Other benefits to society include educational, networking, and mentorship opportunities for many students who attend the conference.

The conference consists of six panels. The panels consider the relationship between item-specific and abstract knowledge in language and cognitive science domains, centered around evidence, modeling, learning, the brain, and language evolution. The conference takes place across two days and is co-located with an established, larger event to maximize conference attendance.

In addition to the panel sessions, the workshop includes a poster presentation session and multiple events to promote collaboration and mentorship. A better understanding of the roles of abstraction and item-specificity could lead to improved outcomes in many applied disciplines, including improved diagnosis and treatment of language disorders, and improvements in second language pedagogy.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.