GReG PLS. 5 International Linguistics Conference: "Linguistic correction/correctness - La correction en langue(s)"

The GReG P.L.S. 5 Linguistics Conference aims to continue investigating the mapping of linguistic parameters involved in the (re-)elaboration of meaning, building on the work accomplished in the four previous GReG linguistic conferences and their subsequent publications (Corela 2011 http://corela.revues.org/2368; Mapping parameters of Meaning 2012 ; Linx 2015 https://linx.revues.org/1432; Canadian Journal of Linguistics 2016 https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/canadian-journal-of-linguistics-revue-canadienne-de-ling, and Marqueurs et Structures and Marqueurs et Structures, éditions Lambert-Lucas, in press, expected publication date: 2017). For its fifth conference, the GReG Linguistics Research Group will gather researchers from various theoretical frameworks in linguistics to focus on the notion of correction in language. As a polysemous term in French, correction may refer to the state of being correct (correctness in English) or the process by which something is made correct.

In its stative meaning the concept refers to a form of acceptability, grammaticality, linguistic propriety or observance of convention, in other words, conformity with a norm.
In its dynamic meaning it calls to mind processes of rectification or remediation engaged in by the speaker, addressee or a third party. Correcting means adjusting a linguistic production in order to minimize what is perceived as a gap with respect to a target norm.
In both its meanings, "correction" invites us to think about the nature of the standard norm from which it is inseparable. This research topic raises the issue of semantic, syntactic, pragmatic, prosodic, etc. gaps with respect to the norm. What is the often implicit norm according to which we correct ourselves and others? Who or what is responsible for defining the norm? Should it be understood as a statistical pattern defined in terms of frequency of use or as an evaluative standard imposed onto others by a subgroup of speakers?

The notion of correction calls into play the concept of linguistic variation, both in a synchronic perspective (since various systems, and therefore various norms, co-exist within a single language) and in a diachronic perspective (linguistic change resulting from originally deviant productions gradually integrated into language).
 

The participants will focus on the following subtopics:

• Given that any norm is embedded in a specific (hence variable) context and situation, correction/correctness involves processes of accommodation, which may be discussed from a pragmatic perspective or in terms of discourse analysis (relevance, genre and the evaluation of discourse efficiency are some potentially useful theoretical concepts);
• From a sociolinguistic viewpoint, phenomena pertaining to ‘political correctness’ and hypercorrection may be examined. Being ‘politically correct’, for instance, may result in being linguistically incorrect, as PC expressions are often deviant with respect to normal linguistic usage (i.e. porte-manteau words; feminization of terms of professions, titles, etc.);
• In second language learning the status of ‘errors’ may be discussed, together with remediation strategies and the relationship between correction and remediation;
• In first language acquisition, self- and other-correction raise questions about their nature, scope, modalities and impact in the acquisition process. Phenomena related to correction in language(s) are thus relevant to all dimensions of linguistic activity (i.e. syntactic, phonological, semantic, pragmatic, multimodal/gesture-related) as well as a wide range of linguistic subfields.