<div dir="ltr"><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div>Dear Friends,<br><br></div>I apologize for our long silence to date, we have still been waiting to get final word back from ECE about our conference funding, as a result of which many of our plans have been on hold, due to funding uncertainty. As a result of this, we have decided to extend the abstract submission deadline.<br><br></div><b><span style="color:rgb(230,145,56)">Important dates:</span><br></b></div>Deadline for submission of abstracts: <b>March 28th<br></b></div>Notification of acceptance: <b>April 18th<br></b></div>Last day to book hotel rooms at Explorer Hotel, at conference rate: <b>April 29th<br><br></b></div>Information from the previous announcement is repeated below. Note that unfortunately we do not have any additional updates on conference travel at this time, again due to funding uncertainty, just as we do not have any further information on cultural events that may accompany the conference (such as hand games, feast, and drum dance)--we look forward to making these arrangements as soon as we hear back from ECE, which they have promised us will be 'very soon'.<br></div><div><br>******************************************************************************<br><br></div><span style="color:rgb(106,168,79)"><b><font size="4">General Conference Description</font></b></span><br>The Dene Languages Conference is the world's most important
annual conference for the study of Dene (Athabascan) languages, bringing
together linguists, educators, language learners, and language activists from
all parts of Denendeh and beyond.<span> </span>The
theme for this year’s conference is “Language and History”.<span> </span>There
will also be a special session on
“Standardization and Variation”. This year's conference is co-organized
by Alex Jaker and Gary Holton (Alaska Native Language Center) and Mary
Rose Sundberg (Goyatıkǫ̀ Language Society), and hosted by the
Yellowknives Dene First Nation. The conference is sponsored by Canadian
North Airlines and the Government of the Northwest Territories,
Department of Education, Culture and Employment.<br><br></div><span style="color:rgb(106,168,79)"><font size="4"><b>Conference Dates and Location</b></font></span><br><p class="MsoNormal">The conference will be held on June 6th and 7th
2016, at the Explorer Hotel, downtown Yellowknife. Meetings will take
place in the Katamavik room, with concurrent sessions in Katamavik A and
B, and posters and promotional displays in Katamavik C. We will be
reserving a block of rooms for the conference, more details will be
available in future announcements; interested parties may periodically
check the conference website, <a href="http://www.uaf.edu/alc/" target="_blank">http://www.uaf.edu/alc/</a> for updates.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:rgb(147,196,125)"><font size="4"><b>Invited Speakers</b></font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">Keren Rice (University of Toronto)</p><p class="MsoNormal">Leslie Saxon (University of Victoria)</p><p class="MsoNormal">Michael Krauss (Alaska Native Language Center)</p><p class="MsoNormal">James Kari (Alaska Native Language Center)</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Keynote speaker:</b></p>Fred Sangris (Yellowknives Dene First Nation)<br><br></div><span style="color:rgb(106,168,79)"><font size="4"><b>Conference Theme: "Language and History"</b></font></span><br>Language is in many ways a product of history. Language changes over
time, and the languages we speak today are the result of many changes
accumulated over thousands of years. At the same time, Dene languages
are known to be remarkably conservative, particularly in their verb
system, where many seemingly irregular or fossilized patterns provide a
direct window into the linguistic past. Finally, learning one’s
traditional language creates, for many people, a sense of connection
with history, with one’s ancestors, and with one’s traditional lands.
In this context, we invite presentations on any of the following topics:<br><br>· <b>Historical linguistics and linguistic reconstruction. </b> What can we infer about how Dene languages sounded long ago, using historical linguistic methods?<br>· <b> Subgrouping.</b>
It has previously been argued to be impossible to construct a ‘family
tree’ of Dene languages, due to extensive contact and borrowing (Krauss
1964), although new methods in linguistics may make it possible to
address questions thought to be unanswerable before. We welcome
presentations using different methods of subgrouping (sound change,
morphophonemics, lexicostatistics, etc.) as well as arguments both for
and against subgrouping.<br>· <b>Use of historical or archival materials.</b>
How were Dene languages written in early missionary, explorer, and fur
trading records, and what does this tell us about how languages have
changed from that time to today?<br>· <b>Reconnecting with history through language.</b>
Presentations relating positive experiences of heritage language
learners reconnecting spiritually with their ancestors, community, and
traditional culture by re-learning their heritage language; language
learning as a healing process.<br>· <b> Learning language through history. </b> Using elders’ stories about the old days as part of language teaching.<br>· <b>Linguistic change in progress. </b> Is
the language changing right now? Is this good or bad? Should we write
the language the way it’s used right now, or try to bring back “old
language”? All viewpoints on this topic are welcome, provided they are
supported with examples and evidence.<br><br></div><span style="color:rgb(106,168,79)"><font size="4"><b>Special Session: "Standardization and Variation"</b></font></span><br>Dene languages, with their many complex symbols and diacritical
markings, can be quite challenging to write just by ear, and many
language workers have expressed a desire for some form of standardized
spelling, which learners can just memorize. At the same time, there is a
great deal of variation within each language—in forms used in different
villages, by different families, by different generations of speakers,
and in formal and informal situations. In this context, standardization
also runs the risk of suppressing or marginalizing any dialects other
than the ‘standard’. Given this context, we invite presentations which
address any of the following questions: <br>· Are standardization
and variation mutually exclusive? That is, can we accommodate variation
within a standardized spelling system?<br>· Should standardization apply to some areas of language but not others?<br>·
Does standardization need to apply to entire ‘languages’, or can
there be different standards for different villages / communities?<br>· Does standardization help with 2nd language acquisition, or with the acquisition of Dene literacy?<br>·
Are certain resources necessary as a pre-requisite to
standardization—for example, a grammar and a dictionary in the language?<br>· Can there be more than one writing system (i.e. roman script and syllabics)?<br><br><p class="MsoNormal">We welcome all viewpoints relating to this topic, both for
and against standardization, especially from language workers and language
teachers, relating their own experiences with literacy and the role of
standardization.<span> </span>This special session
will consist of 3-4 formal presentations, followed by a panel discussion,
followed by open discussion.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:rgb(106,168,79)"><font size="4"><b>Abstract Submission Information</b></font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">Proposers should submit an abstract of no longer than 2 pages (including
all pictures, references, graphs, and examples) to Dr. Alex Jaker, <a href="mailto:amjaker@gmail.com" target="_blank">amjaker@gmail.com</a>.
Abstracts should be anonymous (sent as an attachment), but please
include the names of all presenters, title of your presentation, and
contact information in the email accompanying the abstract. Abstracts
will be reviewed by a committee, both for quality and relevance to this
year’s conference theme or special session topic. While presentations
on any aspect of Dene language, culture, and history are welcome,
priority will be given to those presentations which fit this year’s
themes.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br></p><p class="MsoNormal">Oral
presentations will be 20 minutes plus 10 minutes for questions and
discussion; we will also have a small number of spaces available for
poster presentations. Please indicate on your abstract whether you
prefer to give an oral presentation, present a poster, or can do either
one.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br></p><p class="MsoNormal">The abstract submission deadline has been extended to <b>March 28th, 2016</b>, and notification of acceptance will be sent out by <b>April 18th, 2016.</b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:rgb(106,168,79)"><font size="4"><b>Travel Information</b></font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">Canadian North Airlines has generously agreed to offer discounted
airfare between Edmonton and Yellowknife for conference participants;
please check the conference website over the coming weeks for details on
how to purchase discounted tickets.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br></p><br></div>