Call for Abstracts: FEL XVIII - Indigenous Languages - Value to the Community: Naha, Okinawa, Japan: 17-20 Sept 2014

[Nicholas Ostler]

The theme this year will be the kinds of value that an indigenous
language may bring to its community and environment. As always, FEL
invites abstracts of papers concerning any language in the world, if
they address the conference theme. We look forward to learning above
all, from each other's experience.

But the conference will also offer a unique opportunity to get
acquainted with the Ryukyuan linguistic world.

The 2014 FEL Conference - number 18 in our annual series - will be
held in Okinawa, the main island of the Ryukyu Islands in the extreme
southwest of the Japanese Archipelago. Six mutually unintelligible
Ryukyuan languages are spoken there. All Ryukyuan languages are either
definitely or severely endangered today. English, Japanese and
Ryukyuan will be conference languages. Our focusing questions will
include:

Where and to what effects are indigenous languages employed for
cultural effects?

In what ways can indigenous languages be studied along the lines of
the economic aspects of language?

How does the seamless fit between an indigenous language and its
language ecology manifest in concrete examples?

In what ways does language endangerment point out and relate to other
community problems?

The conference will include (courtesy of our local hosts):
- a talk in Okinawan from an activist point of view (by Fija Byron)
- a description of Ryukyuan sociolinguistics (Masahide Ishihara and
Tetsuro Maeda)
- the place of the Ryukyuan languages in the Japonic language family
(Miyara Shinsho)
Shinako Oyakawa ( has just founded the first-ever Okinawan language
nest) will also moderate a panel. All material will be made accessible
in English and Japanese, through the interpretation of Gijs van der
Lubbe, Chris Davies and Patrick Heinrich, which will constitute a
unique experience.

Conference excursions and activities will include: a pre-conference
visit to Shuri Castle and the prefectural museum on Tuesday 16
September, a performance of Ryukyuan song and dance on Wednesday
afternoon 17 September followed by a brief reception, a banquet on
Friday evening 19 September, and an excursion guided by Prof. Akamine
(University of the Ryukyus) to Seefa Utaki and the sacred Kudaka
Island on Saturday 20 September.

The dates for the conference are: 17-20 Sept 2014. This means it would
be possible to combine it with attendance at the Linguapax Asia's
international symposium in Tokyo on September 13th, although this is
under separate management.

Website: Please visithttp://ryukyuans.org  for more details, and the
full Call for Abstracts.

The submission deadline for abstracts is 31 March 2014, for abstracts
up to 500 English words, or 800 Japanese characters.

Send queries tofelxviii at ryukyuans.org, or to the Chairman.
?

-- Nicholas Ostler nicholas at ostler.net +44 (0)1225-852865, 
(0)7720-889319 Chairman: Foundation for Endangered Languages Foundation 
for Endangered Languages 172 Bailbrook Lane, Bath BA1 7AA, England 
www.ogmios.org

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