cognitive linguistics theme session call for papers 6th international cognitive linguistics association ( icla ) conference ( stockholm , july 1999 ) typological research on signed languages : cognition and discourse structure session coordinators : sherman wilcox and terry janzen several hundred signed languages are known to exist in the world , used within communities in which the signed language is the primary language . most grammatical description of these languages , however , is not extensive , and is confined to no more than a handful of these languages . there is speculation that signed languages may share a significant number of linguistic features even when such languages are genetically unrelated , due in part to their common use of the hands and body as articulators and the eyes , rather than ears , as perceptual organs . very little actual work , however , has been carried out with respect to which specific grammatical features are shared , and which may differ . many questions surrounding the relationship between cognition and signed language structure involve the cross-linguistic typology of structural and semantic categories . it is not yet clear , however , whether certain linguistic features of signed languages emerge cross-linguistically because users of these languages employ similar articulatory and perceptual systems , and how much variation between and within particular categories exists . the purpose of this session is to focus on information processing and discourse structure as typological features among signed languages . a cognitive approach to this topic assumes that signers will structure their discourse to best represent and convey what is cognitively salient , and that the grammar that emerges within a community of language users will reflect this cognitive motivation . we invite papers which focus on cognition and features of discourse structure in a variety of signed languages , with the intention of facilitating discussion among researchers regarding typological features . abstracts ( 700 to 1400 words ) are invited , and should be submitted by november 31 to each of the following : wilcox @ unm . edu tjanzen @ post . rrcc . mb . ca = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = sherman wilcox , ph . d . associate professor dept . of linguistics university of new mexico albuquerque , nm 87131 http : / / www . unm . edu / ~ wilcox