The workshop Microvariation and Microchange in the Scandinavian Languages (MMSL) set out to bring together both junior and senior researchers with new insights into variation and change in the Scandinavian languages. The contributions explored a wide variety of phenomena across both the clausal and nominal domains – they documented ongoing patterns of change, such as the loss of a gender in Norwegian, as well as as-of-yet un(der)described patterns of variation, such as verb movement in Brazilian heritage Norwegian or negative preposing in Icelandic. The contributions further reflected a theoretical shift in our understanding of variation and change, as compared to the Principles and Parameters era. Many explanations localized variation in the lexical item itself, for example in terms of its internal functional structure or its structural height in the spine, while other explanations explored prosodic constraints or domain constraints in accounting for variation. Some contributions sought a wider understanding of variation, by, for example, suggesting that explanations from phonetics, phonology, or morphology might be extended to syntax, or alternatively, by suggesting that frequency can play a role in the extent of variation, with less frequent phenomena leading speakers to draw different conclusions about the data, thereby creating a wider range of variation. Overall, the success of this workshop was apparent in the camaraderie that arose among the participants and the liveliness of the discussions that took place during and after talks.
MMSL also featured a practical segment in the program, in which participants of the workshop offered their expertise in terms of available resources or practical knowledge. This segment included talks on methods and existing databases and journals, along with a hands-on tutorial in fine-turning large language models. The practical sessions were highly welcomed by the participants, and allowed for an important flow of information about existing resources.
A second goal of the MMSL workshop was to build the groundwork for a network among formal linguists in the Nordic countries. This was initiated through two discussions during the workshop itself, where participants explored the desirability of a network and a possible accompanying conference series. Reactions were positive, and a working name for the network was suggested: “Formal Linguistics in the Nordic Countries”, or FLINC, which is a play on the word flink meaning “clever” or “good”. Further, some of the participants volunteered to act as contacts for their respective universities, with the goal of helping to establish the network and recruit colleagues. We have planned a meeting for August with our contacts and any other interested parties, where we will discuss the network more concretely. We are hopeful for the future of this potential network, which would not have been possible without the funding of the Van Riemsdijk Foundation.