18.1515, Calls: General Ling/Sweden; Anthropological Ling,Socioling/Malaysia

Thu May 17 18:33:12 UTC 2007

LINGUIST List: Vol-18-1515. Thu May 17 2007. ISSN: 1068 - 4875.

Subject: 18.1515, Calls: General Ling/Sweden; Anthropological Ling,Socioling/Malaysia

Moderators: Anthony Aristar, Eastern Michigan U <aristar at linguistlist.org>
            Helen Aristar-Dry, Eastern Michigan U <hdry at linguistlist.org>

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       <reviews at linguistlist.org> 

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1)
Date: 17-May-2007
From: Carita Paradis < carita.paradis at vxu.se >
Subject: SALC Conference 

2)
Date: 17-May-2007
From: Nicholas Ostler < nostler at chibcha.demon.co.uk >
Subject: Working Together for Endangered Languages

-------------------------Message 1 ---------------------------------- 
Date: Thu, 17 May 2007 14:29:05
From: Carita Paradis < carita.paradis at vxu.se >
Subject: SALC Conference 

Full Title: SALC Conference 
Short Title: SALC 

Date: 29-Nov-2007 - 01-Dec-2007
Location: Lund, Sweden 
Contact Person: Carita Paradis
Meeting Email: carita.paradis at vxu.se
Web Site: http://www.salc-sssk.org/ 

Linguistic Field(s): General Linguistics 

Call Deadline: 01-Jun-2007 

Meeting Description
The First Conference of the Swedish Association for Language and Cognition (SALC)
Lund, Nov 29 - Dec 1, 2007
http://www.salc-sssk.org/ 

Final Call for Papers

Includes one new theme session

The First Conference of the Swedish Association for Language and 
Cognition (SALC)
Lund, Nov 29 - Dec 1, 2007
http://www.salc-sssk.org/conference

We invite the submission of abstracts for oral or poster presentations for the
The First Conference of the Swedish Association for Language and Cognition
(SALC)/Svenska Sällskapet för Språk och Kognition (SSSK) to be held at the
Centre for Languages and Literature, Lund University between Nov 29 and Dec 1,
2007. Presentations should involve research in which language is not treated in
isolation (e.g. as a ''module''), but both as based on structures and processes
of general cognition (e.g. perception, memory and reasoning) and social
cognition (e.g. joint attention and imitation), and as affecting such structures
and processes. The conference, as SALC in general, is intended to be a forum for
the exchange of ideas between disciplines, fields of study and theoretical
frameworks. Topics include, but are not limited to:

- semantic analysis and cognition
- discourse analysis and cognition
- grammar and cognition
- pragmatics and cognition
- semiotics and cognition
- linguistic typology and cognition
- language and cognitive development
- language and cognitive evolution
- language change and cognition- language and gesture
- language, emotion and consciousness
- linguistic relativity and linguistic mediation

Plenary speakers
- Susan Goldin-Meadow, Department of Psychology, University of Chicago
- Esa Itkonen, Department of Linguistics, University of Turku
- Chris Sinha, Department of Psychology, University of Portsmouth
- Östen Dahl, Department of Linguistics, Stockholm University
- Peter Gärdenfors, Department of Cognitive Science, Lund University

Theme sessions
''Space in language and cognition'' (Conveners: Carita Paradis, Marlene 
Johansson Falck, Carita Lundmark and Ulf Magnusson)
The link between spatial concepts and construals in linguistic expressions and
in thought is a rapidly growing field of inquiry which cuts across disciplines
such as linguistics, cognitive psychology, anthropology, computer science and
philosophy. Oxford University Press will be publishing papers from the session
in an edited volume of strictly peer-reviewed papers that capture cutting-edge
scholarship in this area.

''Language and gesture'' (Conveners: Jordan Zlatev and Cornelia Mueller)
While there is a consensus on the close relationship between language and
gesture, there is an ongoing debate on the exact relationship between the two:
do they constitute a ''unified system'' (e.g. McNeil) or two closely integrated
but distinct semiotic resources (e.g. Donald), supported by distinct cognitive
mechanisms (e.g. Kita and Özyürek)? We plan a publication of papers addressing
this issue from different perspectives: semiotics, interaction studies,
development, evolution and neuroscience.

''The dynamics of symbolic matter'' (Conveners: Stephen Cowley and Paul 
Thibault)
Language simultaneously links brains, bodies and material artefacts. Since the
resulting dynamics prompt human activity, we - and language - are produced,
structured, and function across many time scales. On this distributed
perspective, human sense-making is traced, above all, to skills in integrating
real-time events with verbal patterns (and other second-order cultural
artefacts). Accordingly, we aim to consider how the resulting cognitive dynamics
function in (some of the) time-scales relevant to brains, bodies, the
experiential present, human relationships, development, history and
co-evolution. Finally, we will apply the perspective to robotic and other
cognitive models. The outcome will be a peer-reviewed special issue of a Journal
that examines the dynamics of what we deem 'symbolic'.

One page abstracts (at most 500 words) should be sent as an attachment 
(MS Word preferred) to Marlene Johansson Falck, at marlene at magicspelling.com by
June 1st 2007. Abstracts will then be reviewed by two members of the Scientific
Committee, and notification of acceptance will be sent by August 1st. Please
indicate whether an oral or poster presentation is preferred, and if a poster
presentation is acceptable if the space of the program does not allow for an
oral presentation. If you wish your contribution to be considered for one of the
theme sessions, please indicate this. The conference will be held in English.

Registration fees, including conference participation, book of abstracts, and
coffee/snacks:
- Faculty: 50 euro/450 SEK (40 euro/360 SEK for SALC members)
- Students: 40 euro/360 SEK (30 euro/270 SEK for SALC members)
On-line registration facilities will be announced soon.

Important Dates
- Feb 23: First Call for Papers
- June 1: Deadline for abstract submission
- August 15: Notification of acceptance
- October 1: Programme announced
- Nov 29 (afternoon) - Dec 1 (whole day): Conference

Scientific Committee
- Jóhanna Barddal, Department of Linguistics, University of Bergen
- Ingar Brinck, Department of Philosophy, Lund University
- Alan Cienki Department of Language and Communication, Vrije Universiteit,
Amsterdam
- Östen Dahl, Department of Linguistics, Stockholm University
- Caroline David, Département d'études anglophones, Université Paul-Valéry,
Montpellier III
- Per Durst-Andersen, Centre for Language, Cognition and Mentality, Copenhagen
Business School
- Elisabeth Engberg-Pedersen, Department of Nordic Studies and Linguistics,
University of Copenhagen
- Adam Glaz, Department of English UMCS, Lublin
- Peter Gärdenfors, Department of Cognitive Science, Lund University
- Peter Harder, Department of English, University of Copenhagen
- Merle Horne, Department of Linguistics, Lund University
- Anders Hougaard, Institute of Language and Communication, University of
Southern Denmark
- Daniel Hutto, Philosophy, University of Hetyfordshire
- Esa Itkonen, Department of Linguistics, University of Turku
- Christer Johansson, Department of Linguistics, University of Bergen
- Henryk Kardela, Department of English, Universytet Marii Curie-Sklodowskiej
- Suzanne Kemmer, Department of Linguistics, Rice University
- Maria Koptjevskaja Tamm, Department of Linguistics, Stockholm University
- Maarten Lemmens, English Linguistics, Universitè de Lille3
- Cornelia Mueller, Department for Cultural Studies, Europa-Universität Viadrina
Frankfurt (Oder)
- Chris Sinha, Department of Psychology, University of Portsmouth
- Victor Smith, Copenhagen Business School
- Göran Sonesson, Department of Semiotics, Lund University
- Paul Thibault, Linguistics and Media Communication, Agder University

Organizing Committee
- Jordan Zlatev, Lund University and Umeå University
- Mats Andrén, Lund University
- Marlene Johansson Falck, Stockholm University
- Carita Lundmark, Mid Sweden University
- Ulf Magnusson, Luleå University of Technology
- Carita Paradis, Växjö University

-------------------------Message 2 ---------------------------------- 
Date: Thu, 17 May 2007 14:29:12
From: Nicholas Ostler < nostler at chibcha.demon.co.uk >
Subject: Working Together for Endangered Languages 

Full Title: Working Together for Endangered Languages 
Short Title: FEL XI 

Date: 26-Oct-2007 - 28-Oct-2007
Location: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 
Contact Person: Maya David
Meeting Email: mayadavid at yahoo.com
Web Site: http://www.ogmios.org/conference07/information 

Linguistic Field(s): Anthropological Linguistics; General Linguistics;
Sociolinguistics 

Call Deadline: 31-May-2007 

Meeting Description

The Eleventh Conference of the Foundation for Endangered Languages, in
collaboration with University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: 
Working Together for Endangered Languages: Research Challenges and Social
Impacts, 26-28 October 2007 

Globalisation has an impact on societies on various levels. One of its
implications is the further endangerment of languages, especially those of
minority communities. The looming threat of language loss and death is due to
the hegemony of more dominant languages in sociopolitical and economic domains.
Linguists therefore have an important role in documenting, projecting, and
providing information on, languages which face extinction.

Linguists undertaking such research must tread carefully in any community which
faces language endangerment. The researcher by his or her very presence can
disturb the established social relations, the socio-economic organisation, and
the power relations within a community, bringing in more globalisation, and more
awareness of and exchange with the outside world. Researchers must be made aware
of the impact of their presence.

Communities facing language endangerment may not be cooperative towards
outsiders and may view them with suspicion. In some communities breaking such
barriers requires tact, effort, and strategic planning. Members of the community
facing endangerment should be perceived and treated by the researchers as
experts in their heritage language. Such a view inevitably reduces the power
inequality between researchers and members of the endangered language and eases
collaboration. Cooperation and collaboration may be impeded if the linguist sees
him/herself or is seen as someone who is more authoritative and linguistically
more 'correct' than members of the community facing endangerment. Such a
perception may result in the infamous observer's paradox where subjects become
less natural in the presence of the researcher.

When researchers do not take members of the studied communities seriously,
collaborative work is impeded as the input provided may be distorted due to the
researchers' belief that they are the language experts. Linguists must be
objective and this can be a challenge as prior knowledge may interfere in their
objectivity. Lack of trust and collaboration may result in information not being
provided. One way of combating the failure to share information is to ensure
that researchers are aware that different members of the community facing
language shift are responsible for different kinds of information.

If communities are informed of the dangers of losing their languages, they may
be inclined to collaborate with the linguists to provide information of the
language they speak as on them is entrusted the onus of transmitting their
heritage to family members. Promoting the popularity of an endangered language
in domains such as the workplace, at home and at school may prove to be
difficult, as endangered languages face many obstacles namely from the economic
functionalities of more dominant languages and the attitudes of younger
speakers. At worst, linguists could be seen as counter-productive by the very
community whose language they want to save, because the shift away from an
endangered language is at times motivated by upward economic and social mobility. 

The task of the linguist in this is by no means simple. To penetrate and immerse
oneself in an ethnolinguistic speech community whose language may be on the
verge of death provides the linguist many challenges on the social and
relationship levels. While the linguist is required to collect data as a
researcher, s/he must also form a relationship with the members of the community
so as to collaborate with them in efforts to promote and preserve the language,
in ensuring its revival, in establishing devices and procedures to stop
endangerment etc. Given that the endangerment of languages can be handled
sensitively through collaboration between researchers and members of a community
facing language extinction, this Conference will address the research challenges
and social impacts of such collaborations. Amongst the questions raised in this
Conference are: 

- What can researchers do to ensure collaboration with members of the language
community? What should the researcher do to find a way into the community
through proper and accepted channels? What benefits can a language community
expect from such collaboration?

- What are the boundaries that the researcher should not cross in order to
protect the rights and privacy of the subjects and to safeguard collaborative
ties between community and researcher? What are the limits of researchers'
duties to the language community, and vice versa?

- What is 'best practice' for researchers in order to be accepted and trusted as
in-group members of the community? Does this require the linguist to reduce
his/her role as an expert, in order to build trust and collaboration with the
community? Can cultural immersion act as a collaborative means in data
collection, creating the notion that the researcher is part of the community's
in-group? Are there any advantages in maintaining distance between researcher
and community?

- What options do researchers have if they encounter non-collaborative behaviour
from their target subjects?

- Can support for maintenance of an endangered language actually be socially
counter-productive, when the shift away from an endangered language is seen as
progress in economic and social mobility? In such conditions, can the community
be made aware of the importance of language maintenance? How can the researcher
convince the community of the negative impact of language loss on their culture
and history and, conversely, of the benefits of recovery, preservation, promotion?

- How can language documentation work, and its fruits, be integrated into
community activities and community development? In what other ways can
linguistic research benefit language maintenance and revitalization?

- How can the researcher guard against personally causing damage to existing
social and political structures? In particular, how can the researcher avoid
disturbing established social relations and organization by seemingly conferring
favours on specific members of the community?

- How can the researcher ensure that s/he is not unwittingly the agent of
globalisation within the community and thereby the cause of further
socio-economic and cultural disruption?

Abstracts should make reference to actual language situations , and ideally
should draw on personal experience. The aim of the conference is to pool
experience, to discuss and to learn from it, not to theorize in the abstract
about inter-cultural relations.

Abstract and Paper Submission Protocols

In order to present a paper at the Conference, writers must submit in advance an
abstract of not more than 500 words before 15 May 2007. After this deadline,
abstracts will not be accepted. Abstracts submitted, which should be in English,
must include the following details:

- Title of the paper

- Name of the author(s), organisation to which he/she belongs to

- Postal address of the first author

- Telephone number (and fax number if any)

- Email address(es)

- Abstract text (not more than 500 words)

The abstracts should be sent via e-mail to waninda2001 at um.edu.my and 
fel at chibcha.demon.co.uk with the subject of the e-mail stating: ''FEL Abstract:
last name of author(s): title of paper.''  Abstracts will acknowledged on receipt.

The name of the first author will be used in all correspondence. Writers will be
informed once their abstracts have been accepted and they will be required to
submit their full papers for publication in the proceedings before 1 September
2007 together with their registration fee. Failure to do so will result in the
disqualification of the writers to present their papers. Once accepted, full
papers can be submitted in English or Malay. Each standard presentation at the
Conference will last twenty minutes, with a further ten minutes for discussion
and questions and answers. Plenary lectures will last forty-five minutes each;
these are awarded by invitation only.

Important Dates

- Abstract arrival deadline - 31 May 2007 (extended from 15 May)

- Committee's decision: 25 June 2007

- In case of acceptance, the full paper should be sent by 1 September 2007.
(Further details on the format of text will be specified to the authors)

- Conference dates: 26-28 October 2007

The site for the 2007 conference of the Foundation of Endangered Languages,
hosted jointly this year with SKET, University of Malaya, will be Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia.

University of Malaya is the oldest university in Malaysia, and SKET is
responsible for 80 co-curricular courses, including ''Ethnic Relations.''
(http://www.um.edu.my).

The Foundation for Endangered Languages is a non-profit organization, registered
as Charity 1070616 in England and Wales, founded in 1996. It exists to support,
enable and assist the documentation, protection and promotion of endangered
languages. (http://www.ogmios.org).

Kuala Lumpur is the capital of Malaysia, in an enclave within the state of
Selangor. Besides the Malay peninsula Malaysia includes the Sarawak and Sabah
regions of Borneo. It has 140 indigenous languages. The indigenous people of
Malaya, the orang asli, numbered 105,000 in 1997, 0.5 per cent of the nation's
population. By contrast in 1990 there were 900,000 indigenous people in Sabah,
and 1.7 million in Sarawak. As the country's largest city, K.L. hosts
spectacular modern buildings, notably the Petronas Twin Towers, and most
recently, the 'Eye of Malaysia' Ferris wheel. K.L.'s best-preserved colonial
buildings are mostly in Merdeka Square, and its Chinatown is also famous. The
Batu Caves, 272 steps below ground, house the Hindu Lord Muruga. K.L.'s climate
is equatorial: warm, sunny and often wet, year-round.

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