Publications
- Janic, K. & N. Puddu (2023). Crosslinguistic generalizations about reflexive constructions. In Janic K., Puddu, N. & M. Haspelmath (eds.), Reflexive constructions in the world’s languages, 795–843. Berlin: Language Science Press.
- Janic, K. (2023). Reflexive constructions in Polish. In K. Janic, N. Puddu & M. Haspelmath (eds.), Reflexive constructions in the world’s languages, 293–324. Berlin: Language Science Press.
- Puddu, N. & Janic, K. (2023). Introducing the cross-linguistic comparison of reflexive constructions. In Janic K., Puddu, N. & M. Haspelmath (eds.), Reflexive constructions in the world’s languages, 3–17. Berlin: Language Science Press.
- Stroński, K., & K. Janic. (to appear). From clause chaining to compound verb: On morphosyntactic, control and pragmatic properties of Indo-Aryan converbs in a diachronic perspective. In Cotticelli-Kurras, P., Dahl, E. & J. Zivojinovic (eds.), Diachronic, Typological, and Areal Aspects of Converbs. Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton.
Research material
Janic, K. & M. Haspelmath (2023). Questionnaire on reflexive constructions in the world’s languages. In Janic K., Puddu, N. & M. Haspelmath (eds.), Reflexive constructions in the world’s languages, 847–853. Berlin: Language Science Press.
Editorial work
Janic, K., N. Puddu, & M. Haspelmath (eds) (2023). Reflexive constructions in the world’s languages. Berlin: Language Science Press.
Released datasets
- Dataset 1: Reflexive constructions crosslinguistically
- Dataset 2: P-demotion: Core sample
- Dataset 3: P-demotion: Extended sample
Events
1. International conference in Verona (DiaCon)
From the 6th until the 8th of October 2022, Krzysztof Stroński (CI) participated in the international conference Towards Diachronic Typology of Converbs (DiaCon). The gathering was held at Verona University in Italy. Krzysztof Stroński was invited as a keynote speaker to talk about Control properties of Indo-Aryan (IA) converbs from a diachronic perspective. During the presentation (the 6th of October 2022), Krzysztof Stroński discussed a diachronic development of converbs into compound verbs in IA and the possible function of compound verbs as the voice marking in the P demotion domain.
2. Invited lecture for M.A. students at AMU
On 25 November 2022, Katarzyna Janic gave a lecture in the Empirical Linguistics and Language Documentation program at Adam Mickiewicz University. She delivered her expertise in typological linguistics, where M.A. students had an occasion to get acquainted with the morphosyntactic facet of typology. She introduced the notion of semantic roles, grammatical functions, transitivity, and subject alignment based on various examples taken from the world’s languages.
3. Kick-off meeting in Kraków
The Principal Investigator, Katarzyna Janic (fellow), and Co-Investigator, Krzysztof Stronski (mentor), participated in the kick-off meeting. The two-day event, which took place on 12-13 December 2022 at the National Science Centre’s headquarters in Krakow, was the first networking opportunity for Polonez Bis researchers. An essential part of the kick-off meeting was a dedicated workshop on personal and Career Development Planning (CDP), prepared and delivered by the POLONEZ BIS institutional partner CRAC-Vitae. The kick-off meeting also offered a lecture on open access and the data management process. In addition, there was a session where fellows and mentors worked together to refine the individual CDP. During the meeting, the young researchers had an opportunity to discuss the preliminary Career Development Plan. They became familiar with the RDF Planner, a tool that tracks professional and career development plans. The kick-off meeting provided an excellent opportunity to meet other fellows and mentors to discuss projects, exchange ideas, and develop a network of colleagues in a friendly atmosphere.
4. Participation in the Colloquium at Potsdam University
Participation in the colloquium organized in Honour of Martin Haspelmath’s 60th birthday. The event took place on 2-3 March 2023 at the University of Potsdam and gathered linguists from different parts of the world whose research is typologically oriented. This meeting provided an excellent occasion to present advanced results from the field of linguistic typology, exchange ideas on challenging issues, get familiar with new trends in linguistic typology, and connect again with typologists after the pandemic.
5. The seminar class for M.A. students in the ELLDo program at AMU
The involvement in the cycle of 15 lectures opened for the M.A. students (with one Ph.D. student participation) from Adam Mickiewicz University. The seminar started in the summer semester 2022/2023 on March 10, 2023 and took place regularily every Friday throughout the whole semester in Collegium Novum at AMU. It is part of the MA program „Empirical Linguistics and Language Documentation (ELLDo)” organized at the Faculty of Modern Languages and Literatures and deals with the topic of „verbal valency” – a foundation around which the project Polonez Bis is built. In the class, the students were guided through different valency-changing operations in the world’s languages. As the laureate of the Joseph Greenberg Award (2015) – a prize of the Association for Linguistic Typology granted for the best typological research embodied in a doctoral dissertation, I will confidently transfer knowledge for approaching the topic of valency-changing operations from a typological perspective, highlighting cross-linguistic diversity, distribution, and language-internal variations in this domain.
6. Invited talk at the Scientific Council for the Linguistics and Literary at AMU
On 27 April 2023, Katarzyna Janic gave a talk at the Scientific Council for the Disciplines of Linguistics and Literary at Adam Mickiewicz University. After a summary of her educational and research background as well as connection to Adam Mickiewicz University, she presented to the scientific public the theoretical assumption of the project, research questions, and methodology. The final part of the talk was dedicated to the data collection process and the prospects for its conclusion.
7. Invited lecture at Tribhuvan University
On the 10th of May, 3023, Krzysztof Stroński (CI) was invited to give a lecture on „Diachrony of select linguistic features in New Indo-Aryan Some evidence from Pahari corpora” in the Central Department of Linguistics at Tribhuvan University in Kathmandu (Nepal). In his presentation to the faculty and students of linguistics, Krzysztof Stroński first outlined the theoretical background and key assumptions of the Polonez Bis research project, before passing to the main focus of the talk. In addition to facilitating knowledge exchange and fostering engaging discussions, the presentation provided the academic audience with a deeper understanding of the Polonez Bis project. Krzysztof Stroński also used the opportunity to meet with the department authorities to discuss the prospects of future collaboration.
8. International conference in Athens (SLE)
The members of the research team, Katarzyna Janic (PI), Krzysztof Stroński (CI), and Mohammad Tavakoli (Ph.D. student), took part in the international conference „Annual Meeting of the Societas Linguistica Europaea”. The conference was held in the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens from Tuesday, 29 August to Friday, 1 September 2023, and gathered approximately 600 participants from all over the world. The research team gave two talks disseminating the preliminary results of the project.
The first presentation, co-authored by K. Janic, K. Stroński, and M. Tavakoli, addressed the key aspect of the project: “The link between form and meaning in the P demotion domain”. The presentation took part on 31 August 2023 and was an important step forward for Mohammad Tavakoli to train his language, communication, and academic skills in front of a big, international audience.
On the same day, 31 August 2023, the Polonez Bis research team had another occasion to disseminate the project results. The PI gave a project-related talk “A typological investigation of introverted and extroverted verb distinction in reflexive constructions”. The presentation tackled a particular P demotion pattern in which the P degradation leads to the reflexive rather than disjoint interpretation.
The SLE meeting in Athens provided a forum for high-quality linguistic research from all domains of linguistics, including language typology – the research area of the Polonez project. The meeting also hosted a round table of experts to discuss topics of particular linguistic interest, from which the members of the Polonez research team could profit.
9. International conference in Poznań (PLM)
The Co-Investigator, Krzysztof Stroński, participated in the 52nd Poznań Linguistic Meeting, held from September 13–15, 2023, and organized by the Faculty of English at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań. He delivered a joint talk on behalf of the project team, titled 'The Periphery of the P-Demotion Domain: The Indo-Aryan Languages in a Typological Perspective’. In this presentation, Stroński examined a class of P-demotion alternations within the Indo-Aryan language group, situating them within a broader typological framework.
10. International conference in Venice (SALA)
During the South Asian Languages Analysis Round Table 37 organized at the Ca’ Foscari University in Venice (4-7 October 2023), Krzysztof Stroński presented a joint paper co-authored with PI of the POLONEZ BIS project Katarzyna Janic and MA student from Adam Mickiewicz University Zuzanna Kotkiewicz. The presentation was entitled „Converbs, complex predicates and perfectivity in early New Indo-Aryan (NIA)”. It showed, among other things, that complex predicates in NIA can have functions similar to analytical voice marking in other languages in the P demotion domain. This annual meeting gathered experts from South Asian languages and linguistics. Organized in the friendly atmosphere of a round table, the gathering provided an excellent opportunity for linguists working on a similar language group to deepen the collaboration network.
11. Invited lecture in the colloquium in the Institute of Oriental Studies at AMU
On October 10, 2023, Katarzyna Janic was invited to give an opening lecture at the Institute of Oriental Studies, affiliated with the Faculty of Modern Languages and Literatures at AMU. The talk was entitled „Valency and voice constructions: A case study of P demotion operation from a crosslinguistic perspective” and provided a wonderful opportunity to explain the theoretical foundation of the project. This event was also an opportunity to connect with the university community, impart knowledge and inspiration, and establish a positive and constructive environment for the academic year. The interaction with the audience was valuable and raised interest and curiosity.
12. Secondment in the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig
From November 1st to November 30th, 2023, Katarzyna Janic, the Principal Investigator, undertook her secondment at the prestigious Max Planck Institute in Leipzig. This experience significantly enriched her ongoing academic pursuits related to the Polonez bis project. Among the most impactful aspects of her research stay was the opportunity to collaborate closely with her host mentor, Professor Martin Haspelmath, and other distinguished linguists. Engaging with Professor Haspelmath not only expanded Katarzyna Janic’s comprehension of crucial project elements, such as constructing a semantic map but also facilitated the exchange of pioneering ideas and methodologies. Additionally, this research stay provided a valuable platform for in-depth discussions regarding developing a user-friendly, easily reproducible database. This crucial aspect was explored extensively during interactions with Professor Haspelmath and Johannes Englisch, experts in the field. Finally, on November 24, 2023, Katarzyna Janic delivered a talk titled „From Antipassive to Antipassive Lookalike Alternations: Form and Function Overlap within a P Demotion Domain.” During this presentation, she elaborated on the evolution of her research idea, stemming from her doctoral studies. Her talk, hosted at Leipzig University, attracted linguists from the Max Planck Institute and Leipzig University, bridging two distinct academic research environments.
13. Invited talk at the colloquium At Bern University
The Principal Investigator, Katarzyna Janic, delivered a lecture on April 8, 2024, at the Department of Linguistics at the University of Bern. The presentation, titled „Capturing Form-Function Correlations in the Domain of P Demotion Constructions: A Semantic Map Approach”, represents the central focus of the ongoing research project and its ultimate objectives. This talk attracted participants from diverse linguistic backgrounds and provided an excellent opportunity for intellectual exchange and vibrant discussion. It was indispensable to realize the project and disseminate its research findings.
14. Invited talk to the colloquium at Kiel University
The Co-investigator, Krzysztof Stroński, delivered a lecture on May 7, 2024, at the University of Kiel, in the Institut für Skandinavistik, Frisistik und Allgemeine Sprachwissenschaft (ISFAS). The lecture, Synchronic and Diachronic Insights into Analytic Voice Marking: P-Demoting Strategies in Indo-Aryan concluded with a lively and engaged discussion. This presentation provided an opportunity to disseminate the project’s findings and receive valuable feedback from a specialized audience.
15. Internationa conference in Poznań (GeSuS)
The International Conference „30. Linguistiktage Gesellschaft für Sprache und Sprachen” (GeSuS) was held at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań from June 24–26, 2024, under the theme „Europe and the Diversity of Its Languages”. Two members of the Polonez Bis research project participated in the conference, presenting key findings from the project. Krzysztof Stroński delivered a talk titled „Alignment Splits in New Indo-Aryan (NIA) in Historical and Typological Perspective,” while Mohammad Tavakoli presented on „Applying Two Statistical Methods to the P-Demotion Domain: Multi-Dimensional Scaling versus Multiple Correspondence Analysis”.
16. International conference in Helsinki (SLE)
Katarzyna Janic (Principal Investigator) and Mohammad Tavakoli (Ph.D. student), members of the research team, participated in the international conference Annual Meeting of the Societas Linguistica Europaea, held at the University of Helsinki from August 21–24, 2024. The event brought together approximately 700 participants from around the globe. The project team presented two talks disseminating their research findings. On behalf of the research team, Mohammad Tavakoli delivered a joint presentation on August 24 (Krzysztof Stroński, Katarzyna Janic, Mohammad Tavakoli) titled “Bridging Anticausativization and Passivization in Indo-Aryan: Possible outcomes and byproducts in the development of the voice domain”. Similarly, Katarzyna Janic, representing the team, gave a joint talk (Katarzyna Janic, Krzysztof Stroński, and Mohammad Tavakoli) on August 23 titled “Complex predicate as analytic voice marking of antipassivization.”
17. International Congress of Linguistics (ICL)
The 21st International Congress of Linguists was held from September 8 to 14, 2024, in Poznań, gathering approximately 700 participants from around the world. Project members Katarzyna Janic, Krzysztof Stroński, and Mohammad Tavakoli actively participated in the event. First, they organized the workshop 'Expanding the Research Horizons of the P-Demotion Domain: Crosslinguistic Variation, Diversity, and Boundaries’, where each presented different aspects of the project findings. Additionally, Mohammad Tavakoli delivered a talk during the general session, „Applying Multiple Correspondence Analysis to the P-demotion domain”, and Krzysztof Stroński presented a joint talk „Core and peripheries of ergativity in New Indo-Aryan: Some new insights” – on behalf of the project members at another workshop organized by Eystein Dahl, the principal investigator of Polonez Bis 3. More details about the workshop are provided in the Workshop 2024 section.
Dissemination of the results to the general public
1. Public lecture
On the 11th of May, 2023, Krzysztof Stroński (CI) gave a talk at Madan Bhandari Memorial College in Kathmandu (Nepal). The lecture attracted quite a large audience. It was organized during the seminar opened to future college candidates and enrolled students. Krzysztof Stroński presented the main outlines of the Polonez Bis Project, showing the synergy of typological, historical, and computational linguistics. He also talked about the application procedure in the NCN, Poland, and research options for foreigners, allowing the public to provide input and ask questions.
2. Press release
On December 15th, 2023, the interview with Katarzyna Janic was published in the university journal, in which Katarzyna shared insights and outcomes stemming from her involvement in the Polonez Bis project. As the principal investigator, Katarzyna provided an overview of the project, delving into its theoretical foundations, core assumptions, and the contributions made by her research group. The interview emphasized the fundamental aspects of the Polonez Bis project, including its primary objectives, the methodologies employed, and the significance of its findings in the academic landscape. Additionally, the interview highlighted the collaborative efforts and expertise of Katarzyna Janic’s research team, emphasizing their contributions and the interdisciplinary nature of their work. The PI also addressed the challenges encountered during the project, such as data collection, building a typological database, and consistency of coding decisions. Katarzyna Janic’s interview served as a platform to disseminate the critical aspects of the Polonez Bis project, thereby contributing to the broader academic discourse within the university community and beyond.
3. Social media
Katarzyna Janic established a Facebook account, https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61551726996014, which proved to be an effective strategy for engaging a broader audience and promoting the project:
Achievements
1. Invited talks by Susanne Michaelis and Martin Haspelmath at AMU
From April 10–13, 2024, on the invitation of Katarzyna Janic (Principal Investigator of the Polonez Bis project), the Faculty of Modern Languages and Literatures hosted two distinguished linguists: Susanne Michaelis from Leipzig University & MPI-EVA and Martina Haspelmath from MPI-EVA. On April 11, Susanne Michaelis delivered a talk titled “Principled Hybridization in Creole Languages,” followed by Martina Haspelmath’s presentation on “Efficient Trade-Offs of Informativeness and Length in Grammar and Lexicon.” The seminar, which attracted various linguists from Adam Mickiewicz University, concluded with a lively and engaging discussion.
2. Post-Polonez employment at Adam Mickiewicz University
On April 27, 2023, Katarzyna Janic (Principal Investigator) was invited to present the Polonez Bis research project at the Scientific Council for the Disciplines of Linguistics and Literature at Adam Mickiewicz University (AMU), chaired by the Vice-Rector for Science, Prof. Dziubalska-Kołaczyk. The Principal Investigator made a positive impression on both the audience and Prof. Dziubalska-Kołaczyk, which subsequently contributed to her future employment at Adam Mickiewicz University. In 2024, steps were taken to initiate a recruitment process for an assistant professor position for which the PI was eligible to apply. The call was open to all qualified candidates, ensuring a competitive selection process. The commission favorably reviewed the PI’s application and invited her for an interview on September 10, 2024. As a result, she was appointed to a two-year tenured research position as assistant professor at the Institute of Oriental Studies at AMU, effective October 1, 2024. This accomplishment represented the successful realization of the PI’s long-term career development goal of securing employment at the host institution, achieved through her contributions to the Polonez Bis project and related accomplishments.