P02 – Grammatical Gender in Discourse and Grammar
Project description
Subproject 2 is interested in an analysis of gender features and their discourse structural interpretation. Empirical focus lies on mismatches and interactions arising from the presence of multiple (referential or semantic) gender features. The goal is to construct a detailed theory for the syntax-semantics interface of gender.
On the theoretical side, the project pursues two main distinct avenues. First, a new framework of compositional dynamic semantics, Locus Semantics, is developed. Locus Semantics disentangles features from individual variables by introducing the new semantic type of loci (replacing the standard domain of individuals), which allows for a more transparent analysis of mismatches. Second, the project explores the relation between features of spoken and signed languages by comparing German grammatical gender to referential loci (R-loci) of signed languages (and in particular of German Sign Language, DGS). The project proposes that both kinds of features can be accounted for in a unified, cross-modal DRT framework.
Empirically, the project is interested in a range of phenomena related to gender feature interactions; examples include gender shift cases (i.e., cases where the grammatical gender of a predicate NP of a copular clause becomes available for future agreement) or cases including mismatches between grammatical and semantic gender (e.g., with hybrid nouns such as German neuter “das Mädchen” (the girl) referring to semantically feminine girls). Empirical data is gathered both via experiments as well as corpus studies. Languages of interest include German and Czech, while DGS data is additionally taken into account to compare spoken referential features to R-loci of signed languages.
Team
Edgar Onea
Principal Investigator
University of Graz
Edgar Onea received his doctorate from Heidelberg University in 2005 and is Professor of German Language and Linguistics at the University of Graz. His research focuses on text structure, literary suspense, and political language. Read more
Simon Dampfhofer
PhD Student
University of Graz
Simon Dampfhofer holds an MA in German Linguistics and Philology and a BSc in Physics, with additional academic training in philosophy. His research interests include formal semantics, the syntax and semantics of pronouns as well as of phi features, discourse representation, and philosophy of language. Read more
Cluster membership
Output
Publications
2026
Dampfhofer, S., & Onea, E. (2026). Shift Happens – When and Why Anaphoric Pronouns Prefer Shifted Gender. Proceedings of the Conference Referential Expressions in Discourse (RED) 2025.
author={Dampfhofer, S. and Onea, E.},
title={Shift Happens – When and Why Anaphoric Pronouns Prefer Shifted Gender},
year={2026},
booktitle={Proceedings of the conference Referential Expressions in Discourse (RED) 2025} }
Kučerová, I., & Onea, E. (2026). NP2 copular agreement in Czech presentational contexts. Department of Linguistics, Graduate School of Humanities, Kobe University. https://doi.org/10.24546/0100501355
author={Kučerová, I. and Onea, E.},
title={NP2 copular agreement in Czech presentational contexts},
year={2026},
month={Feb},
url={https://doi.org/10.24546/0100501355},
DOI={10.24546/0100501355},
publisher={Department of Linguistics, Graduate School of Humanities, Kobe University} }
Kučerová, I., & Onea, E. (2026). What is there to agree with? Evidence from presentational copular clauses. Proceedings of the Conference Referential Expressions in Discourse (RED) 2025.
author={Kučerová, I. and Onea, E.},
title={What is there to agree with? Evidence from presentational copular clauses},
year={2026},
booktitle={Proceedings of the conference Referential Expressions in Discourse (RED) 2025} }
2025
Kučerová, I., & Onea, E. (2025). The Unbearable Simplicity of Being Something. Proceedings of Sinn Und Bedeutung 30 (SuB 30).
author={Kučerová, I. and Onea, E.},
title={The Unbearable Simplicity of Being Something},
year={2025},
booktitle={Proceedings of Sinn und Bedeutung 30 (SuB 30)} }
Talks
2026
Kučerová, I., & Onea, E. (2026). This Topic Is Not That Topic. Exceptions in Anaphoric Processing, Brașov.
author={Kučerová, I. and Onea, E.},
title={This Topic Is Not That Topic},
year={2026},
eventtitle={Exceptions in Anaphoric Processing},
venue={Brașov} }
Kučerová, I., & Onea, E. (2026). Topic Pronouns in Czech: Argument Drop in Disguise. Formal Approaches to Slavic Linguistics 35, University of California, Santa Cruz.
author={Kučerová, I. and Onea, E.},
title={Topic Pronouns in Czech: Argument Drop in Disguise},
year={2026},
eventtitle={Formal Approaches to Slavic Linguistics 35},
venue={University of California, Santa Cruz} }
Onea, E. (2026). A Static Semantics for Gender and Anaphora [Invited talk]. Semantics Colloquium, Goethe University Frankfurt.
author={Onea, E.},
title={A Static Semantics for Gender and Anaphora},
year={2026},
eventtitle={Semantics Colloquium},
venue={Goethe University Frankfurt} }
Onea, E. (2026). Being IT: Topics, Binding, Classification, and Copular Clefts [Invited talk].
author={Onea, E.},
title={Being IT: Topics, Binding, Classification, and Copular Clefts},
year={2026},
venue={University of Stuttgart} }
Onea, E. (2026). Introducing Locus Semantics [Invited talk]. Morpho-Syntax-Semantics Colloquium, University of Potsdam.
author={Onea, E.},
title={Introducing Locus Semantics},
year={2026},
eventtitle={Morpho-Syntax-Semantics Colloquium},
venue={University of Potsdam} }
Onea, E. (2026). Locus Semantics: A New Framework for Discourse Referent Management [Invited talk]. Department Colloquium, University of Konstanz.
author={Onea, E.},
title={Locus Semantics: A New Framework for Discourse Referent Management},
year={2026},
eventtitle={Department Colloquium},
venue={University of Konstanz} }
Onea, E. (2026). Locus Semantics: What We Learn from Sign Language for the Architecture of Meaning [Invited talk]. Linguistics Colloquium.
author={Onea, E.},
title={Locus Semantics: What We Learn from Sign Language for the Architecture of Meaning},
year={2026},
eventtitle={Linguistics Colloquium} }
2025
Kučerová, I., & Onea, E. (2025). NP2 Copular Agreement Revisited: Evidence from Presentational Contexts. Leiden/Bielefeld Workshop on Comparative Syntax, University of Bielefeld.
author={Kučerová, I. and Onea, E.},
title={NP2 Copular Agreement Revisited: Evidence from Presentational Contexts},
year={2025},
eventtitle={Leiden/Bielefeld Workshop on Comparative Syntax},
venue={University of Bielefeld} }
Kučerová, I., & Onea, E. (2025). NP2 Copular Agreement in Czech Presentational Contexts.
author={Kučerová, I. and Onea, E.},
title={NP2 Copular Agreement in Czech Presentational Contexts},
year={2025},
venue={Verona} }
Kučerová, I., & Onea, E. (2025). NP2 Copular Agreement in Presentational Contexts. Olomouc Linguistics Colloquium 2025, Palacký University Olomouc.
author={Kučerová, I. and Onea, E.},
title={NP2 Copular Agreement in Presentational Contexts},
year={2025},
eventtitle={Olomouc Linguistics Colloquium 2025},
venue={Palacký University Olomouc} }
Kučerová, I., & Onea, E. (2025). What Is There to Agree With? Evidence from Presentational Copular Clauses. Referential Structure in Communication: International Conference on Language and Communication, University of Graz.
author={Kučerová, I. and Onea, E.},
title={What Is There to Agree With? Evidence from Presentational Copular Clauses},
year={2025},
eventtitle={Referential Structure in Communication: International Conference on Language and Communication},
venue={University of Graz} }
Onea, E. (2025). What You Are Presented With Is Not What You Predicate Over. 2nd International Workshop on the Syntax of Predication and Modification, HUN-REN Hungarian Research Centre for Linguistics, Budapest.
author={Onea, E.},
title={What You Are Presented With Is Not What You Predicate Over},
year={2025},
eventtitle={2nd International Workshop on the Syntax of Predication and Modification},
venue={HUN-REN Hungarian Research Centre for Linguistics, Budapest} }
Onea, E., & Dampfhofer, S. (2025). Shift Happens – When and Why Anaphoric Pronouns Prefer Shifted Gender [Poster]. RED 2025: Mismatches in Anaphoric Relations, University of Graz.
author={Onea, E. and Dampfhofer, S.},
title={Shift Happens – When and Why Anaphoric Pronouns Prefer Shifted Gender},
year={2025},
eventtitle={RED 2025: Mismatches in Anaphoric Relations},
venue={University of Graz} }
Onea, E., & Kučerová, I. (2025). The Unbearable Simplicity of Being Something [Poster]. Sinn und Bedeutung 30, Goethe University Frankfurt.
author={Onea, E. and Kučerová, I.},
title={The Unbearable Simplicity of Being Something},
year={2025},
eventtitle={Sinn und Bedeutung 30},
venue={Goethe University Frankfurt} }