CFP: ICML Tartu May 2009

Wed Sep 3 06:08:54 UTC 2008

Dear All,

forwarded, the call to the International Conference of Minority Languages.
For any further information, please contact the organizers and/or visit the
conference website (addresses below).

Best
JL
-- 
Univ.-Prof. Dr. Johanna Laakso
Institut für Europäische und Vergleichende Sprach- und Literaturwissenschaft
Abteilung für Finno-Ugristik
Universitätscampus AAKH, Spitalgasse 2-4 Hof 7, A-1090 Wien
Tel. +43 1 4277 43019, (VoIP) +43 599664 43019 | Fax +43 1 4277 9430
johanna.laakso at univie.ac.at | http://homepage.univie.ac.at/Johanna.Laakso/

***
CALL FOR PAPERS

The University of Tartu and partners are pleased to announce the 12th
International Conference on Minority Languages (ICML XII) which will be held
in Tartu, Estonia, 28-30 May 2009.

Conference theme
Language revitalisation and new technologies
The ICML conference in Tartu will focus on the study of autochthonous
minority communities and their language use. New perspectives have emerged
for the revitalisation of lesser-used languages due to modern technological
development. However, new educational and communicational technologies and
tools have not been fully applied in the development of minority communities
and their languages. This conference will provide an academic opportunity to
discuss which barriers need to be overcome, myths to be broken, processes to
be followed and changes to be undertaken.

Background and goals
Given their colonial past and often-shifted state borders, but also today¹s
multimodal media and fluid identities, scholarly attention to autochthonous
languages always confronts a number of problems.
What are the consequences of standardisation?
How are the issues of language ownership reflected in schooling?
Do multiple identities and languages visualised into landscapes add to
linguistic diversity?
What is the role of primary socialisation in language maintenance?
Does the way researchers or planners name languages decide their very
existence? 
Have minority communities and their languages benefited from the World Wide
Web? 
ICML XII aims to search for answers to these questions and to reconsider
some theoretical orthodoxies. Furthermore, we hope to hear from the
experience of such communities who have taken advantage of technological
innovations. 

Main themes for paper and poster presentations:
* Notions: autochthonous language, minority and/or regional language (RML).
* Revitalisation and maintenance of RML: case studies of actual practice.
* New technologies and methods for revitalisation and maintenance of RML.
* Language policies and language planning concerning autochthonous
languages. 
* Language acquisition and education in RML: home, pre-school, school.
Experiences of bilingual education. New technologies and methods.
* Literature, theatre and music as tools for language revitalisation and
maintenance. 
* Any topic concerning autochthonous RML¹s in the Baltic region.
* Contact-induced change in minority languages.

Plenary speakers

Uldis Ozolins (La Trobe University)
Sarah Thomason (University of Michigan)
Anna Verschik (Tallinn University)
Richard Villems (Estonian Academy of Sciences)

Location of the conference
This conference will be the first ICML conference to be held in the region.
The historical towns of Tartu and Võru are located in the South-East of
Estonia. Tartu is often considered the intellectual and cultural hub of
Estonia, especially since it is home to the oldest and most renowned
university in Estonia. Võru is the capital of Võru County and the centre of
the historical Võru Parish. Both these towns are known as the centres where
the South Estonian literary language was used from the 17th to the early
20th century. Today, the South Estonian Võro language is mainly spoken only
in the areas of the historical Võru Parish.

CALL FOR PROPOSALS
Proposals regarding original and previously unpublished research on minority
languages are invited in three formats: colloquia, individual papers and
posters. Proposals should fall broadly within the conference theme.

Proposals for colloquia
Colloquia are collections of paper presentations that relate to a narrowly
defined topic of interest, and are offered in a three-hour time block.
Proposals for colloquia are limited to 700 words, and should include brief
summaries of each of the papers to be included, along with paper titles and
individual authors¹ names. Sufficient detail should be provided to allow
peer reviewers to judge the scientific merit of the proposal. The person
submitting a proposal for a colloquium is responsible for securing the
permission and co-operation of all participants before the proposal is
submitted. A chair for the session must also be identified. Although the
proposals should be submitted in English, the language of the colloquia may
be chosen freely. 
The submission deadline for proposals for colloquia is October 1, 2008.
Submissions should be sent to icml at lists.ut.ee.

Proposals for individual papers or posters
Please submit by e-mail a one-page (500-word) abstract of your paper or
poster, including your name, affiliation, address, phone and e-mail address
at the end of your abstract. The abstract should include enough detail to
allow reviewers to judge the scientific merits of the proposal. All
abstracts will be reviewed anonymously by the members of the Scientific
Committee of ICML XII. We kindly ask you to attach to your abstract a short
presentation of your professional activities (in third person singular form)
in maximally 150 words.
We will accept for presentation by each author: (a) a maximum of one first
authored paper/poster and (b) a maximum of two papers/posters in any
authorship status. At the time of submission you will be asked whether you
would like your abstract to be considered for a poster, a paper or both.
Oral papers will be allotted 30 minutes, allowing 20 minutes for
presentation and 10 minutes for questions. Posters will be on display for a
full day with two attended sessions during the day. The official language of
the conference is English. The submission deadline for proposals for
individual papers and posters is November 1, 2008. Submissions should be
sent to icml at lists.ut.ee.
Acknowledgement of receipt of the abstract will be sent by e-mail as soon as
possible after the receipt. You will receive notification of acceptance no
later than December 20, 2008.

ORGANIZER INSTITUTIONS
* University of Tartu (http://www.ut.ee <http://www.ut.ee/> )
* Võro Institute (http://www.wi.ee <http://www.wi.ee/> )
* Tallinn University (http://www.tlu.ee <http://www.tlu.ee/> )
·      Institute of the Estonian Language (http://www.eki.ee
<http://www.eki.ee/> )
·      Estonian Bureau of Lesser Used Languages (http://www.estblul.ee
<http://www.estblul.ee/> )
·      Estonian Ministry of Education and Research (http://www.hm.ee
<http://www.hm.ee/> )

ORGANIZING COMMITTEE
Reili Argus  Tallinn University
Andres Heinapuu  Estonian Bureau of Lesser Used Languages
Kadri Koreinik  Võro Institute
Mari Mets  University of Tartu
Sven-Erik Soosaar  Institute of the Estonian Language
Tõnu Tender  Estonian Ministry of Education and Research
Ilona Tragel  University of Tartu
Virve-Anneli Vihman  University of Tartu

FURTHER INFORMATION
Further details regarding ICML XII will be available on the conference
website, 
http://www.icml.ut.ee. Please visit the website periodically for regular
updates.