BBS Call for Commentary Proposals: Jones

Dear Dr. Qwerty: When a target article or recent book has been accepted for BBS Open Peer Commentary, the editorial office sends out the Call for Commentary Proposals to thousands of people. Commentary proposals help the editors craft a well-balanced commentary invitation list. Please DO NOT submit a commentary article unless you are formally invited. If this target article interests you as a possible subject for commentary, please download the full un-copyedited preprint to see if you would like to *propose* a commentary. If you are interested, carefully follow the instructions below the target article information. Please keep in mind that we are not asking you to submit a commentary article -- but rather, a short proposal in order to be considered as an invited author after the proposal deadline. Also be aware that we typically receive far more commentary proposals than we can accommodate with formal invitations. NOW PROCESSING COMMENTARY PROPOSALS ON: Target Article: "Human kinship, from conceptual structure to grammar" Author: Doug Jones Deadline for Commentary Proposals: April 22, 2010 Abstract: Research in anthropology has shown that kin terminologies have a complex combinatorial structure, and vary systematically across cultures. This article argues that universals and variation in kin terminology result from the interaction of (1) an innate conceptual structure of kinship, homologous with conceptual structure in other domains, and (2) principles of optimal, "grammatical" communication active in language in general. Kin terms from two languages, English and Seneca, give a chance to show how terminologies that look very different on the surface can be generated by a universal set of constraints in different rankings. Constraints on kin terms form a system: some are concerned with absolute features of kin (sex), others with the position (distance and direction) of kin in "kinship space," others with groups and group boundaries (matrilines, patrilines, generations, etc.). Also, kin terms are sometimes extended indefinitely via recursion, and recursion in kin terminology has parallels with recursion in other areas of language. Thus the study of kinship sheds light on two areas of cognition, and their phylogeny. The conceptual structure of kinship seems to borrow its organization from the conceptual structure of space, while being specialized for representing genealogy. And the grammar of kinship looks like the product of an evolved grammar faculty, opportunistically active across traditional domains of semantics, syntax, and phonology. Grammar is best understood as an offshoot of a uniquely human capacity for playing coordination games. Keywords: cognitive anthropology; conceptual structure; coordination games; evolutionary psychology; grammar; kinship; kin terms; language evolution; Optimality Theory (OT); recursion Download Target Article Preprint: http://journals.cambridge.org/BBSJournal/Call/Jones_preprint COMMENTARY PROPOSALS MUST INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING 1. What aspect of the target article or book you would anticipate commenting upon. 2. The relevant expertise you would bring to bear on the target article or book. Please include names and affiliations of your co-authors if applicable. SUGGESTING COMMENTATORS AND NOMINATING BBS ASSOCIATES Commentators must be BBS Associates, or suggested by a BBS Associate. If you are not a BBS Associate, please follow the instructions below. To suggest others as possible Commentators, or to nominate others for BBS Associateship status, please email bbsjournal(a)cambridge.org. http://journals.cambridge.org/BBSJournal/Inst/Assoc HOW TO SUBMIT A COMMENTARY PROPOSAL If you would like to nominate yourself for potential commentary invitation, you must submit a Commentary Proposal via our BBS Editorial Manager site: 1. Log-in as Author Username: CQwerty-545 Password: Qwerty875632 Log-in to your BBS Editorial Manager account as an author: http://www.editorialmanager.com/bbs. If you do not have an account, please visit the site and register. You can also submit a request for missing username and password information if you have an existing account. 2. Submit New Manuscript Within your author main menu please select Submit New Manuscript. 3. Select Article Type Choose the article type of your manuscript from the pull-down menu. Commentary Proposal article types are temporarily created for each accepted target article or book. Only select the Commentary Proposal article type that you wish to submit a proposal on. For example; "Commentary Proposal (Jones)" 4. Enter Title Please title your proposal submission by indicating the relevant first author name of the target article or book. For example: "Commentary Proposal on Jones" 5. Add Co-Authors If you are proposing to write a commentary with any co-authors, please enter their required information here. These potential co-authors need not contribute to the Commentary Proposal itself. 6. Attach Files The only required submission Item is your Commentary Proposal in MSWord or RTF format. In the Description field please add the first author name of the target article or book. For example: "Commentary Proposal on Anderson" 7. Approve Your Submission Editorial Manager will process your Commentary Proposal submission and will create a PDF for your approval. On the 'Submissions Waiting for Author's Approval' page, you can view your PDF, edit, approve, or remove the submission. Once you have Approved the Submission, the PDF will be sent to the editorial office. **It is VERY important that you check and approve your Commentary Proposal manuscript as described above. Otherwise, we cannot process your submission.** Note: If you have designated a different Corresponding Author, only the new Corresponding Author will have access to the PDF and must log-in to the system in order to approve the PDF. 8. Editorial Office Decision At the conclusion of the Commentary Proposal period, the editors will review all the submitted Commentary Proposals. An undetermined number of Commentary Proposals will be approved and those author names will be added to the final commentary invitation list. At that time you will be notified of the decision. If you are formally invited to submit a commentary, you will be asked to confirm your intention to submit by the commentary deadline. Note: Before the commentary invitations are sent, the copy-edited and revised target article will be posted for invitees. In the case of Multiple Book Review, invitees will be sent a copy of the book to be commented upon if requested. With Multiple Book Reviews, it is the book, not the précis article that is the target of commentary. Please do not write a commentary unless you have received an official invitation! SPECIAL NOTE Since this is our first year on Editorial Manager, we would like your feedback regarding how the process could be improved. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. BEING REMOVED FROM THE CALL EMAIL LIST If you DO NOT wish to receive Call for Commentary Proposals in the future, please reply to bbsjournal(a)cambridge.org, and type "remove" in the subject line. Sincerely, Ralph DeMarco Editorial Administrator, BBS Associate Editor, STM Journals Cambridge University Press 32 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10013-2473 Tel 001 212.337.5016 bbsjournal(a)cambridge.org http://journals.cambridge.org/bbs http://bbs.edmgr.com/