[EDLING:1369] CFP: FEL X: Endangered Languages & Multilingualism

Thu Mar 23 18:51:02 UTC 2006

>  The Foundation for Endangered Languages: Tenth Conference in 
> association with the Central Institute of Indian Languages, Mysore, 
> India. 25-27 October 2006.
> 
> The Foundation for Endangered Languages, in association with the Central 
> Institute of Indian Languages, will hold its annual 2006 conference in 
> India, home of more than a thousand languages and dialects, and a 
> consciously multilingual policy stance by the Government of India. 
> Although many of these languages enjoy political and economic patronage, 
> others are struggling to survive. Among these strugglers are the 
> languages of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, where communities are not 
> only tiny, but also some of the most anciently independent tribes on the 
> planet. The viability of many such small languages is threatened.
> 
> This year's conference concerns the effects of multilingualism on 
> smaller languages. A crucial question for this conference is how far 
> poorly-conceived language planning policies may actually contribute to 
> environmental imbalance and instability, dangers that are often very 
> little understood. As we understand the effort to revitalize languages, 
> this is no more than the support they need to develop in the face of new 
> demands, including the increased bi- and multi-lingualism coming from 
> globalization, urbanization and language contact.
> 
> 
>    Some Issues for the Conference:
> 
> We hope to discuss these issues in terms of actual language situations 
> presented by our participants.
> 
> ·     Are minority languages threatened, or strengthened, through 
> bilingualism or multilingualism with other languages? Is it essential 
> for the survival of a small language to sustain a minimum-sized core 
> group of language-dominant speakers?
> 
> ·        What factors beside the prospect of competitive economic 
> benefits can sustain language use in a community (and indeed re-orient 
> the language planners)?
> 
> ·         Is bilingual language planning important for families based on 
> cross-cultural/linguistic marriages? More generally, what role is there 
> for language planners in the future of a small language or dialect? Is 
> language survival helped or hindered by a flexible policy in recognizing 
> what languages are actually in use?
> 
> ·       How significant are social networks for sustaining 'vital 
> voices'? Does the context of a consciously multilingual society foster 
> use of smaller languages? Is code-switching as common in small minority 
> communities and tribes as it is in the elites?
> 
> ·          How compatible is western-style formal education with 
> traditional language use? Are there other models for transmission?
> 
> ·        Are the prospects of minority languages affected by the 
> metropolitan languages through which they may be known to a wider world?
> 
> ·          Does a language's vitality benefit if it is not closely 
> related, or structurally similar, to its neighbours?
> 
> ·           Is language documentation the only feasible outside response 
> to the needs of vital but vanishing voices?
> 
> ·           How can modern -- often cheap -- technology benefit the 
> smallest languages?
> 
> '*Vital Voices'* refers to the growing awareness that the survival and 
> development of endangered languages are necessary for humanity's future, 
> however endangered they may look amidst the statistics generated for 
> policy in our globalized economy.
> 
> 
>    The Conference Venue
> 
> The *Central Institute of Indian Languages*, Mysore, (CIIL) was set up 
> by the Government of India in July 1969. It is a large institute with 
> seven regional centers spread all over India, and is engaged in research 
> and training in Indian languages other than English and Hindi. It helps 
> to evolve and implement India's language policy and coordinate the 
> development of Indian languages.* Mysore *is a city in the Southern 
> Indian <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/India> state of Karnataka 
> <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karnataka>. The former capital of the 
> princely state of Mysore, ruled by the Wodeyar dynasty since the 14th 
> century, it is now the administrative seat of Mysore District 
> <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mysore_District>, the second largest in 
> Karnataka, 135 km <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kilometre> from 
> Bangalore <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangalore>, the state capital. 
> The city is known for its palaces and many other attractions. One of 
> these is the Brindavan Gardens laid out beside the Krishnarajasagar dam 
> (19km), particularly beautiful at night. There are also the Royal 
> Palace, the Chamundi Hills, Srirangapatnam Temple, Ranganthittu Bird 
> Sanctuary, Oriental Research Institute, and Museums of Folklore, and of 
> Art and Archeology. The conference dates (25-27 October) will allow 
> participants, if they wish, to witness Diwali (the festival of lights) 
> on 23 October before coming to Mysore. A language-related excursion is 
> planned for 28-29 October after the conference.
> 
> 
>    Transport
> 
> *Bus*: Mysore has inter-city and sub-urban public bus transportation.
> 
> *Rail*: Mysore is connected to Bangalore 
> <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangalore> to the northeast via Mandya 
> <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandya>, and to Hassan 
> <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hassan> to the northwest, to 
> Chamarajanagar <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chamarajanagar> via 
> Nanjangud <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanjangud> to the southeast.
> 
> *Air*: The nearest accessible airport is at Bangalore 
> <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangalore>.
> 
> 
>    Submission of Abstracts
> 
> If you would like to take part in our conference, please submit an 
> abstract of your contribution. Abstracts should not exceed 500 words. 
> They may be submitted in either of two ways: by electronic submission, 
> or on paper. Most simply, they should be written in English. Other 
> languages may also be accepted by prior arrangement with the Programme 
> Chair Mahendra Verma mkv1 at york.ac.uk <mailto:mkv1 at york.ac.uk> or FEL 
> Chair Nicholas Ostler <nostler at chibcha.demon.co.uk> 
> <mailto:nostler at chibcha.demon.co.uk>
> 
> 1) Electronic submission: Electronic submission (*by 18 April 2006*) 
> should be as an attachment in Word, or simply as an email message to 
> mkv1 at york.ac.uk <mailto:mkv1 at york.ac.uk>, with copies to 
> <FEL at chibcha.demon.co.uk> <mailto:FEL at chibcha.demon.co.uk> and 
> mallikarjun at ciil.stpmy.soft.net 
> <mailto:mallikarjun at ciil.stpmy.soft.net>. Please fill in the subject 
> domain as follows:
> 
> FEL_Abstract
> 
> The e-mail should also contain, in the following format:
> 
> NAME : Names of the author(s)
> AFFILIATION(S): Institution(s) where the author(s) currently work
> TITLE: Title of the paper
> EMAIL: Email address of the first author, if any
> ADDRESS: Postal address of the first author
> TEL: Telephone number of the first author, if any
> FAX: Fax number of the first author, if any
> 
> The name of the first author will be used in all correspondence.
> 
> Note. The Conference announcement will also be placed on the net by 
> CIIL at www.ciil.org <http://www.ciil.org/> with facilities for 
> submission, and a step-by-step method of submission that will 
> automatically send copies of the abstract as above. Dr. B.Mallikarjun of 
> CIIL, Mysore (Tel: +91-821-2345007) will be the local point of contact 
> for participants.
> 
> 2) Paper abstracts: Three copies should be sent (to arrive *by 18 April 
> 2006*) to:
> 
> Dr Mahendra Verma
> Dept of Language and Linguistic Science
> University of York
> York YO10 5DD
> United Kingdom
> 
> fax +44 1904 432673
> 
> This should have a clear short title, but should not bear anything to 
> identify the author(s).
> On a separate sheet, please include the following information:
> 
> NAME: Names of the author(s)
> TITLE: Title of the paper
> EMAIL: Email address of the first author, if any
> ADDRESS: Postal address of the first author
> TEL: Telephone number of the first author, if any
> FAX: Fax number of the first author, if any
> The name of the first author will be used in all correspondence.
> 
> (If possible, please also send an e-mail to Mahendra Verma 
> mkv1 at york.ac.uk <mailto:mkv1 at york.ac.uk> informing him of the paper 
> submission. This is in case the hard copy does not reach its destination 
> in time. This e-mail should contain the information specified in the 
> above section.)
> 
> 
>    Important Notes for Authors
> 
> Oral presentations (except for any selected to be keynote addresses) 
> will last twenty minutes each, with a further ten minutes for 
> discussion. Authors will be expected to submit a written paper with the 
> full version of the lecture (up to 8 pages A4), for publication in the 
> proceedings, well in advance of the conference. Further details on the 
> format of text will be specified to the authors. Authors (and other 
> attendees) from outside India will also be required to inform the 
> organizers in advance of the following details: Passport Number, 
> Citizenship, Date and Place of Issue, for all who wish to be present 
> during the conference.
> 
> 
>    Important Dates
> 
> · Abstract arrival deadline - 18 April 2006
> · Committee's decision - 30 April 2006
> · Informing authors - 8 May 2006
> · Conference Website with all abstracts - 15 May 2006
> · In case of acceptance, the full paper needs to be sent by 31 August 2006.
> · Conference - 25-27 October 2006