Fwd: CFP: FEL VI: Endangered Languages and their Literatures: Antigua, Guatemala. 8-10 August 2002

Thu Feb 21 21:57:47 UTC 2002

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>From: Nicholas Ostler <nostler at chibcha.demon.co.uk>
>Subject: CFP: FEL VI: Endangered Languages and their Literatures: Antigua,
>  Guatemala. 8-10 August 2002
>Sender: owner-linganth at ats.rochester.edu
>Status:
>
>Call for Abstracts:
>
>FEL VI: "Endangered Languages and their Literatures:
>Building a Past for the Future"
>
>Antigua, Guatemala. 8-10 August 2002
>
>One of the most powerful functions of a language is that of
>repository for the culture and worldview of its speakers.  Its
>grammar and lexicon store the shared experiences of past
>generations, and a language is the channel by which these images,
>emotions, knowledge and beliefs are transmitted to the next.  A
>language does not just transmit messages; it decorates them
>aesthetically, and so facilitates their reception and retention.
>
>Thus literature, both in spoken and written forms, is a key
>crossover point between the life of a language and the lives of its
>speakers. Literature gives a language prestige; and knowledge of its
>literature enriches a language's utility for its speakers.  Both act
>to build the loyalty of speakers to their own language.  All these
>effects then reinforce one another in a virtuous cycle.
>What exactly is the relationship between a minority language facing
>increased pressure and its literatures? Does the oral and/or written
>tradition hold a key to the language's future survival? The sixth
>international conference of the Foundation for Endangered Languages
>aims to pinpoint the processes and seek new tactics for looking at
>literary traditions as a means of promoting the vitality of small
>languages.
>
>We hope to find answers to many questions, not all of them obvious.
>For example:
>*      The (re)writing of our history: How endangered language
>communities seek to establish a stronger  sense of their past on
>which to build their future?
>*      How does the power of language preserve and propagate aspects
>of cultural tradition and stimulate new departures in keeping with
>the old?
>*      Emerging literatures and literacies: What are the pedagogical
>and linguistic issues involved in EL literary production?
>*      How does the use of creative-writing workshops,
>poetry-festivals and literary contests impact language
>revitalization?
>*      How do oral literatures and their transmission across
>generations help revitalize endangered languages or to reverse
>language-shift?
>*      Translation issues (from and into EL):  Who is the target
>audience and what is the target effect?
>*      What are the symbolic as well as communicative functions of
>endangered languages in literature?
>*      How do efforts from within the community to maintain language
>address its literary tradition?
>
>To seek answers to these and other questions, the Foundation for
>Endangered Languages hereby calls for papers to be presented at its
>fifth conference, 'Endangered Languages and their Literatures',
>planned for Antigua, Guatemala, for 8-10 August 2002.
>
>It is no coincidence that we choose this venue for the conference,
>at the gateway to the densest Mayan population in the world.  Though
>most are familiar with the marvels of Mayan achievements in
>pre-Columbian times, focusing on the past leads many to assume that
>when the great cities of the Classic Period were abandoned the Mayas
>did not simply return to the surrounding countryside, but
>disappeared altogether.  Yet it is precisely in this countryside, in
>thousands of small rural communities that the Mayas and their
>distinct identity have survived to number over seven million today.
>Here they carry out life ways as inscribed on ancient stones: the
>counting of days on their unique calendar, the daily preparation of
>sacred corn on the grinding stone, weaving garments of intricate
>designs at the back strap loom, and the use of their languages.
>
>The Mayas have withstood centuries of hardship, oppression and
>persecution with their cultures and languages largely intact-a feat
>no less impressive than the construction of giant pyramids.
>However, the forces of globalization-as manifested in national
>schools, mass media, accelerated migration, and a cash
>economy-continue to encroach upon and penetrate the Mayan world,
>endangering their languages as never before.  The signing of Peace
>Accords in 1996 signaled the close of 35 years of civil war known as
>la violencia whose impact upon the Mayas was particularly cruel and
>devastating.
>
>However, in recent years, a growing movement has sprouted from the
>ashes of la violencia, seeking to recover the Mayas' rightful place
>in national life.  This movement has largely shunned frontal
>assaults on the political system in favor of education and literacy
>in Mayan languages, and the publication of dictionaries, teaching
>materials, and diverse forms of Mayan literature.  Mayan
>organizations are now active in diverse fields, such as health,
>agriculture, community development, and Mayan religion.  All promote
>the use of Mayan languages both as a symbol of collective identity
>and as communicative medium.
>
>Antigua, Spanish colonial capital of Central America, is an
>architectural gem nestled in the verdant Guatemalan highlands.
>Though less than an hour from the bustling capital of Guatemala
>City, the cobblestone streets and tile roofs of Antigua belong to
>another, slower age.  Antigua is home to several Mayan language
>revitalization organizations, and also serves as a gateway to the
>Mayan towns and villages, as well as the scenic splendors of the
>Guatemalan highlands.
>We invite contributions not only from the academic disciplines of
>linguistics and literature/comparative literature, but also from
>active practitioners in the field with first-hand experience from
>which we can learn of the worlds threatened languages and their
>struggle for survival and equal status with those of international
>communication in the ether and on the printed page. We have much to
>learn from each other, and we invite you to share your knowledge and
>experience with us in the beautiful setting of a historic town that
>has long been a point of contact between diverse cultures and
>languages. The conference will also provide ample opportunity to
>explore the surrounding area as well.
>
>The Foundation for Endangered Languages is a registered charity in
>England and Wales. FEL conferences, besides being opportunities to
>discuss the issues from a global viewpoint, are working meetings of
>the Foundation, defining our overall policy for future years.
>Participants at the conference therefore, unless offering media
>coverage, need to be members of the Foundation. There are full
>facilities to join on arrival, but all proposers are strongly urged
>to join as soon as possible, and so take full part in the
>Foundation's activities in the lead-up to the conference.
>
>Presentations will last twenty minutes each, with a further ten
>minutes for discussion. Authors will be expected to submit a written
>paper for publication in the Proceedings well in advance of the
>conference. All presentations should be accessible largely in
>English or Spanish, but use of the languages of interest, for
>quotation or exemplification, may well be appropriate.
>
>Organizers:
>McKenna Brown, Virginia Commonwealth University, USA
>Gaspar Pedro Gonza'lez, Asociacio'n Cultural B'eyb'al, Guatemala
>Nicholas Ostler, FEL, Bath, England
>Chris Moseley, BBC Monitoring Service, England
>Mahendra Verma, University of York, England
>Karen Johnson-Weiner, SUNY-Potsdam, USA
>Blair Rudes, University of North Carolina-Charlotte, USA
>
>Abstract Submission
>Abstracts should not exceed 500 words. They can be submitted in
>either of two ways: (preferably) by electronic submission, but also
>on paper. They should be in English.
>
>A) Electronic submission:
>Electronic submission (by 15 Marchl 2002) should be as attachment in
>Word format in email message to mbrown at saturn.vcu.edu.
>
>B) Paper abstracts:
>Three copies should be sent, (again, for delivery by 15 March 2002), to:
>R. McKenna Brown, Virginia Commonwealth University, International
>Studies Program, Box 843080, Richmond, VA 23284-3080 USA (fax
>+01-804.225.3479)
>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
>ADDR: 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 R. McKenna Brown at
>mbrown at saturn.vcu.edu informing him of the hard copy submission.
>This is in case the hard copy does not reach its destination. This
>e-mail should contain the information specified in the above section.
>
>Important Dates
>
>*      Abstract submission deadline March 15
>*      Committee's decision April 15
>*      Authors submit camera-ready text June 3
>*      Conference August 8-10


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Sonja L. Lanehart
Department of English                   706-542-2260 (office)
University of Georgia                   706-542-1261 (dept.)
300 Park Hall                           706-542-2181 (fax)
Athens, GA 30602-6205     http://www.arches.uga.edu/~lanehart
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