The Research Training Group (RTG) 2636 Form-meaning mismatches at the University of Göttingen invites advanced students and early-career researchers to apply for its upcoming Fall School on "Alternatives in Grammar."
The school will run from November 16 to 20, 2026 and will be hosted at the University of Göttingen.
This intensive week-long program brings together four leading scholars whose work has shaped our understanding of how alternatives operate in semantics and pragmatics, offering participants an unparalleled opportunity to engage deeply with cutting-edge theoretical and empirical developments in the field.
4 Lecture Series & Instructors
Simon Charlow (Yale University) - The Composition of Alternatives
Luka Crnič (Hebrew University of Jerusalem) - Maximal Informativity, Logicality, and Alternatives
Nina Haslinger (Leibniz-ZAS) - Rethinking Structural Alternative Constraints and the Symmetry Problem
Andreea Nicolae (Leibniz-ZaS) - Cross-linguistic and Cross-population Effects on Alternatives and the Inferences Derived from Them
Each lecture series runs over four days (Monday–Tuesday; Thursday-Friday), with 90-minute sessions offering in-depth, sustained engagement with each instructor's research program.
Student Workshop
On Wednesday a student workshop will take place, giving participants the chance to present their own research and receive feedback from peers and instructors alike. This is a unique opportunity to test new ideas, refine ongoing projects, and connect with a vibrant international community of semanticists and pragmaticists. There will be a limited number of slots for oral presentation in addition to poster presentations.
Whether your interest lies in the compositional semantics of alternatives, their logical properties, structural constraints, or cross-linguistic and experimental dimensions, this fall school offers something for every student of formal semantics and pragmatics.
Application details and deadline
The deadline for applications is September 21. You can apply here. If you have any questions, please contact the coordinator of the RTG, Aleksandra Bovt, using rtg2636@uni-goettingen.de.
Students are generally expected to cover their travel and living expenses. The RTG has some limited funds for financial support available. If you would like to be considered for such financial support, please indicated this in the application form and provide a brief explanation.
If you want to present at the student workshop, indicate this in the application form and provide a preliminary title. Also indicate if you want to be considered for oral presentation or just poster presentation.
We look forward to welcoming you in Göttingen!
