Project acronym SynCart
Project From maps to principles: Syntactic cartography and locality in adult grammars and language acquisition
Researcher (PI) Luigi Rizzi
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITE DE GENEVE
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), SH4, ERC-2013-ADG
Summary The project aims to break new ground in syntax and acquisition by combining three main strands of research:
1. The cartography of syntactic structures, which attempts to draw detailed maps of syntactic configurations.
2. The theory of syntactic locality, with special reference to intervention and delimitation principles.
3. The minimalist investigation of the fundamental ingredients of syntactic computations.
Interconnected issues of cartography and locality will be addressed both in the adult grammar, and in language acquisition.
There is much to expect from a close integration of these domains, which can complement and strengthen each other in substantive ways. The acquisition component introduces important variations on the theoretical themes, thus crucially enriching the empirical basis of the theoretical component; reciprocally, the solid theoretical structure of the project will offer new explanatory dimensions and generate novel research questions for acquisition studies.
The “complementizer system” is one privileged locus where cartography and locality meet, as much of the movement action targets this zone of the syntactic tree. The research will then primarily focus on this area.
The project aims at opening new paths in
i. The “further explanation” of cartographic sequences and delimitation effects;
ii. The development of a full-fledged theory of syntactic movement, integrating cartographic studies with minimalist syntax;
iii. The exploration of a unified approach to intervention and impenetrability locality principles;
iv. An integrated study of locality in adults and children,
v. The study of the acquisition of cartographic structures.
Summary
The project aims to break new ground in syntax and acquisition by combining three main strands of research:
1. The cartography of syntactic structures, which attempts to draw detailed maps of syntactic configurations.
2. The theory of syntactic locality, with special reference to intervention and delimitation principles.
3. The minimalist investigation of the fundamental ingredients of syntactic computations.
Interconnected issues of cartography and locality will be addressed both in the adult grammar, and in language acquisition.
There is much to expect from a close integration of these domains, which can complement and strengthen each other in substantive ways. The acquisition component introduces important variations on the theoretical themes, thus crucially enriching the empirical basis of the theoretical component; reciprocally, the solid theoretical structure of the project will offer new explanatory dimensions and generate novel research questions for acquisition studies.
The “complementizer system” is one privileged locus where cartography and locality meet, as much of the movement action targets this zone of the syntactic tree. The research will then primarily focus on this area.
The project aims at opening new paths in
i. The “further explanation” of cartographic sequences and delimitation effects;
ii. The development of a full-fledged theory of syntactic movement, integrating cartographic studies with minimalist syntax;
iii. The exploration of a unified approach to intervention and impenetrability locality principles;
iv. An integrated study of locality in adults and children,
v. The study of the acquisition of cartographic structures.
Max ERC Funding
2 499 318 €
Duration
Start date: 2014-02-01, End date: 2019-01-31
Project acronym TraCES
Project From Translation to Creation: Changes in Ethiopic Style and Lexicon from Late Antiquity to the Middle Ages
Researcher (PI) Alessandro Bausi
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITAET HAMBURG
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), SH5, ERC-2013-ADG
Summary An area of ancient written culture from the first millennium BCE, the Ethiopian highlands have been home to a complex literary tradition (predominantly in Ge‘ez) that has no parallel in sub-Saharan Africa. Its emergence was determined by Late Antique culture (Byzantium including Egypt, Pales-tine, Syria, and the Red Sea), Mediterranean cultural encounters, and the African background. The earliest known texts were translations from Greek, later works were adopted from Christian Arabic (esp. Copto-Arabic) literary tradition, in addition to a rich local written production. The complexity of literary history is fully reflected in the changes in grammar, lexicon and stylistic means of the Ge‘ez language. TraCES will for the first time analyze in detail the lexical, morphological and sty-listic features of texts depending on their origins using the achievements of linguistics, philology, and digital humanities. An annotated digital text corpus of critically established texts will be cre-ated. Frequency and collocation analysis will reveal changes in grammatical and lexical choices across centuries. Novel ways of visualization of textual features and intertextual relationships will be offered to provide insights into the structure, history and evolution of texts. The resulting new understanding of the history of the Ge‘ez language and of the Ethiopian creativity and literary activity will help establish features and criteria that may be helpful in determining the origins of texts when the direct ‘Vorlage’ is missing. The literary transmission and dissemination processes will be analyzed by contrasting and connecting Ethiopian Late Antique and medieval heritage with its parallels and antecedents in Near East and Mediterranean, contributing to our understanding of the cultural networks of the Christian Orient. A number of valuable research tools will emerge as by-products of the project.
Summary
An area of ancient written culture from the first millennium BCE, the Ethiopian highlands have been home to a complex literary tradition (predominantly in Ge‘ez) that has no parallel in sub-Saharan Africa. Its emergence was determined by Late Antique culture (Byzantium including Egypt, Pales-tine, Syria, and the Red Sea), Mediterranean cultural encounters, and the African background. The earliest known texts were translations from Greek, later works were adopted from Christian Arabic (esp. Copto-Arabic) literary tradition, in addition to a rich local written production. The complexity of literary history is fully reflected in the changes in grammar, lexicon and stylistic means of the Ge‘ez language. TraCES will for the first time analyze in detail the lexical, morphological and sty-listic features of texts depending on their origins using the achievements of linguistics, philology, and digital humanities. An annotated digital text corpus of critically established texts will be cre-ated. Frequency and collocation analysis will reveal changes in grammatical and lexical choices across centuries. Novel ways of visualization of textual features and intertextual relationships will be offered to provide insights into the structure, history and evolution of texts. The resulting new understanding of the history of the Ge‘ez language and of the Ethiopian creativity and literary activity will help establish features and criteria that may be helpful in determining the origins of texts when the direct ‘Vorlage’ is missing. The literary transmission and dissemination processes will be analyzed by contrasting and connecting Ethiopian Late Antique and medieval heritage with its parallels and antecedents in Near East and Mediterranean, contributing to our understanding of the cultural networks of the Christian Orient. A number of valuable research tools will emerge as by-products of the project.
Max ERC Funding
2 493 220 €
Duration
Start date: 2014-03-01, End date: 2019-02-28
Project acronym TripleSolar
Project Solar Energy Conversion in Molecular Multi-Junctions
Researcher (PI) René A. J. Janssen
Host Institution (HI) TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITEIT EINDHOVEN
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), PE5, ERC-2013-ADG
Summary The project focuses on investigating and developing novel principles for solar-to-electricity and solar-to-fuel conversion using organic semiconductors and employing multiple photons in a process that mimics natural photosynthesis. The goal is to develop efficient solar energy convertors based on cheap and abundant materials that offer prospects to be employed on large scale and contribute to global conversion and storage of solar energy.
Presently, state-of-the-art polymer solar cells reach power conversion efficiencies of ~10% in solar light. Projected efficiencies are as high as 20% when multi-junction solar cells can be employed. Closing this gap is a tremendous challenge that will require pushing every single step in the conversion process to its intrinsic limits, eliminating losses close to perfection. In addition to efficient conversion, storage of energy is crucial because solar electricity supply and demand are intermittent. Capturing solar energy in chemical bonds of molecular fuels is most effective in terms energy density and the first firm ideas are emerging on how this can be achieved. We will use our expertise in the area of polymer solar cells to create multi-junction molecular solar-to-electricity conversion devices with unprecedented power conversion efficiencies and develop new concepts for efficient solar-to-chemical conversion.
To reach these ambitious goals, the project focuses on investigating fundamental questions regarding charge generation and on developing new organic materials, electrocatalysts and devices for solar-to-electricity and solar-to-fuel conversion. The activities involve designing and synthesizing new materials, performing photophysical and morphological studies, analyzing charge and exciton transport in relation to morphology, developing new interfacial layers, electrocatalysis, and exploring the use of multi-junction configuration devices in solar cells and artificial leaves.
Summary
The project focuses on investigating and developing novel principles for solar-to-electricity and solar-to-fuel conversion using organic semiconductors and employing multiple photons in a process that mimics natural photosynthesis. The goal is to develop efficient solar energy convertors based on cheap and abundant materials that offer prospects to be employed on large scale and contribute to global conversion and storage of solar energy.
Presently, state-of-the-art polymer solar cells reach power conversion efficiencies of ~10% in solar light. Projected efficiencies are as high as 20% when multi-junction solar cells can be employed. Closing this gap is a tremendous challenge that will require pushing every single step in the conversion process to its intrinsic limits, eliminating losses close to perfection. In addition to efficient conversion, storage of energy is crucial because solar electricity supply and demand are intermittent. Capturing solar energy in chemical bonds of molecular fuels is most effective in terms energy density and the first firm ideas are emerging on how this can be achieved. We will use our expertise in the area of polymer solar cells to create multi-junction molecular solar-to-electricity conversion devices with unprecedented power conversion efficiencies and develop new concepts for efficient solar-to-chemical conversion.
To reach these ambitious goals, the project focuses on investigating fundamental questions regarding charge generation and on developing new organic materials, electrocatalysts and devices for solar-to-electricity and solar-to-fuel conversion. The activities involve designing and synthesizing new materials, performing photophysical and morphological studies, analyzing charge and exciton transport in relation to morphology, developing new interfacial layers, electrocatalysis, and exploring the use of multi-junction configuration devices in solar cells and artificial leaves.
Max ERC Funding
2 493 585 €
Duration
Start date: 2014-03-01, End date: 2019-02-28
