Organizers: Tromsø University
Contact: Øystein Vangsnes
Web-page: http://en.uit.no/tavla/artikkel/320146/tromso_international_conferance_on_language_diver
Deadline for submission: May 1, 2013
Notification of acceptance: Early June 2013
Confirmed keynote speakers include:
Kenneth R. Beesley, SAP Labs, Salt Lake City, USA
Raphael Berthele, University of Fribourg, Switzerland
Ellen Bialystok, York University, Canada
Kendall King, University of Minnesota, USA
Elana Shohamy, Tel Aviv University, Israel
A central objective of the conference is to bring together research and policy making in the area of language diversity. Keynote speakers will include academics, politicians and public administrators, and at this point the following plenary speakers have confirmed their presence:
Abstracts for general session papers and proposals for workshops are invited by the submission deadline 1st May 2013.
Background
The Tromsø International Conference on Language Diversity will be one of the seven main events during Språkåret 2013, the Norwegian national Language Year 2013, which marks both the 200th anniversary of the Norwegian linguist and poet Ivar Aasen and the 100th anniversary of Det Norske Teatret (‘The Norwegian Theater’). Språkåret 2013 aims to be a generous and inclusive celebration of language diversity.
Language is the most important defining characteristic of human beings. Yet, language comes in a multitude of forms, and differences across languages and variation within them affect society and the lives of individuals in a number of ways. Why don't we all speak the same? Why do some societies manage well with several languages whereas others do not? Why are regional languages promoted in some areas and why are minority languages suppressed in others? How is cognitive development in children affected by growing up with two rather than just one language – or with two dialects rather than just one? Do language issues affect the health of a population? Does language diversity constitute a security challenge in certain circumstances? Is the ability to understand closely related linguistic varieties desirable, and if so, should it be promoted through political measures?
The questions are numerous and the central purpose of the conference is to highlight them and bring together research and policy making in discussing the assets and challenges regarding language diversity. Thematically the conference will focus on three main areas: cognitive and developmental aspects of language diversity, its impact on society in general, and language technology. There will be a combination of parallel sessions/workshops, plenary talks and panel debates, and we envisage discussions on issues such as the economic and societal benefits of language diversity, language diversity in education, language diversity as cultural heritage, the future of language diversity in language technology, etc.
Submission guidelines
Session papers
Abstracts are invited for 30-minute presentations (including discussion) on any topic concerning language diversity. We strongly encourage papers that highlight issues that bear on the societal and political relevance of language diversity.
Abstracts should not exceed 500 words and 1 page in length (excluding references).
Workshops
We are also soliciting organizers for workshops on various topics that highlight societal implications and aspects of language diversity, and the following non-exhaustive list gives an impression of relevant topics.
- Language diversity and universal design
- Language, discrimination and mental health
- Machine translation and minority languages
- Bilingualism and education
- Bilingualism versus bidialectalism
- Language revitalization
- Historical minority languages in Europe
- Minority language as an asset in tourism
- Minority languages and language technology
- Language diversity and economy
Workshop proposals may be of two kinds:
1. Thematic workshops with a series of at most six 30-minute paper presentations. One or two of the slots may be used for general discussion. Upon submission of the proposal, the workshop organizers should provide a description of the workshop and include a list of speakers with paper titles. The workshop should be open to all participants at the conference, and the time slots must follow the time slots for the general sessions. The proposal should be no more than two A4 pages in length.
2. General discussion/panel sessions lasting one and a half hours. Proposals for such short workshops should include a description of the topic and a list of at least four participants and their area of expertise relevant to the topic. The proposed session must be open to all conference participants. The proposal should be no more than one A4 page in length.
For both kinds of workshops, prospective organizers are strongly urged to get in touch with the conference organizers in due time before the submission deadline in order to get feedback on the feasibility of the proposal. Proposals that include participation from both research and politics/public administration are most welcome.
Submission
The deadline for submission is 1st May 2013 at midnight Central European Time. All submissions should be made through the EasyChair system by following this link https://www.easychair.org/conferences/?conf=tromslang2013.
Contributors will be notified by early June 2013 about the outcome of the review process, and a program for the conference will be launched as soon as possible thereafter.
Important dates
1 May – Deadline for submission of abstracts (papers and workshops)
Early June – Notification of acceptance
Late June – Program launch and registration opens
1 October – Registration deadline
6-8 November – Conference takes place
Further information about practical matters, side events and so forth will be put out on the conference web site in due time. The organizers of the conference can be contacted at tromslang2013@hsl.uit.no.
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