[etnolinguistica] =?x-user-defined?Q?Confer=EAncia:_FEL_VII:_Maintaining_the_Links:_Langu?= =?x-user-defined?Q?age=2C_Identity_and_the_Land;_Broome_WA=2C_22-24_Sept_?= =?x-user-defined?Q?2003?=

Thu Jan 30 15:59:10 UTC 2003

Date: Thu, 30 Jan 2003 14:28:42 +0100
From: Nicholas Ostler <nostler at chibcha.demon.co.uk>
Subject: FEL VII: Maintaining the Links: Language,  Identity and the
 Land; Broome WA, 22-24 Sept 2003

Call for Abstracts

Seventh International Conference hosted by the
Foundation for Endangered Languages
Maintaining the Links: Language, Identity and the Land.

Broome, Western Australia, September 22nd - 24th 2003

Minority language groups around the world are endeavouring to maintain their languages, traditions and identities in the face of immense pressures from more dominant languages and cultures in their regions.

Some languages express identity or ethnicity in terms of having and controlling the traditional language normally associated with a particular tract of land. Many other languages, English included, often refer to various ethnic groups and their language varieties in terms of a connection to a particular region, even if only a historical one. Some groups who have been either displaced from their traditional lands or have emigrated to new lands see maintaining their original languages and cultures as a means of reinforcing their identity and keeping alive the links with their homeland.

Throughout the world the relationships between language, land and identity are varied and complex, especially for indigenous communities. For some coastal and seafaring communities the 'sense of place' may be felt in connection with the sea as well as the land. In Siberia the survival of languages can be linked to the continuation of traditional practises such as herding reindeer. In Australia dreaming stories recount the creation of the land and explain, amongst other things, topographical features, animal behaviour and language distribution.

In the Federal and High Courts of Australia, recent native title claims have been won and lost based on whether or not the claimants were able to demonstrate continuous connection with the country under claim. Knowledge of the traditional languages is a factor in determining the extent of that connection. For this reason the sound documentation of languages and their successful maintenance has become more important than ever and has a bearing on people who may not otherwise be concerned about language loss.

The seventh international conference of the Foundation for Endangered Languages aims to better understand the relationships between language, the culture and identity of its speakers, and the land. These understandings can then provide an important guide to establishing priorities, when choosing approaches to documentation and revitalization of endangered languages.

We are pondering many questions, among them:

*What lies behind the idea, common in indigenous communities, that a language may have an intrinsic link with a place, or a traditional way of life?
*Are there principles for demarcating functions of different language varieties, such as local and national languages?
* Can languages be owned? Do small language communities have a right to restrict access to their language, even if it is severely threatened? Do outsiders have any right to know a small community's language?
*How have so many widely spoken languages lost their link with their homeland? Are all widespread languages (national, imperial, commercial) cut off from their roots?
*How can we learn from speakers of indigenous languages about cultural identity, and a sense of place?
*Can knowledge of the language of your forebears link you to a place that you have never seen?
*Is it possible to successfully document or maintain a language without careful consideration of its cultural and environmental setting?
*What do the speakers of endangered languages see as  most important for the future: documentation in archives or passing on the language to the next generation?
*Is there a conflict between documentation and archiving on the one hand and language revitalization on the other? Who should set priorities and how to go about it?
*What is the relation between language revitalisation and the link to an ancestral country?

The Foundation for Endangered Languages herewith calls for papers for its seventh conference, ÔMaintaining the Links: Language, Identity and the Land',  to be held in Broome, Western Australia.

It is no coincidence that we chose this venue to host the conference. Broome is a growing town in the Kimberley region in the remote north of Western Australia. It is a colourful town with a laid-back atmosphere. To the west the Indian Ocean and beautiful beaches and to the east the Great Sandy Desert, it is spectacular country.

In the 1880s the Kimberley was one of the last regions of the country to be settled by Europeans with the opening of the area to the pastoral industry and the discovery of gold. The town of Broome began with the establishment of the pearling industry. Aboriginal people along with many Japanese, Malays, Filipinos, Timorese, Macassarese and Ambonese worked in this industry which is still one of the townÕs most important. The influence of Broome Pearling Lugger's Pidgin, now no longer spoken, can be heard in 'Broome Talk', one of the varieties of English spoken by many Broome locals today.

It is a region of great linguistic diversity. There are twenty-five traditional Aboriginal languages still spoken in the Kimberley although many have only a handful of speakers and only two are spoken by children as their first language. As the Ôgateway to the KimberleyÕ, Broome is also close to the Pilbara region where there are some 20 languages still spoken.

Australia is a sad example of extreme language endangerment. Over 250 languages were once spoken, but now only ninety or so remain. Initially death from violence and disease, then policies aimed at cultural assimilation have diminished speech communities that had never been large and had devastating effects on the transmission of language from parent to child.

In the last twenty years, regional language centres have emerged as a result of grass roots movements to reclaim and protect local languages. They concern themselves with the production of language materials, facilitation of language revitalisation projects, documentation, archiving and the delivery of interpreting and translation services.

We invite contributions not only from the fields of linguistics and ethnography but also from any practitioners in the field, those with experience of language and cultural maintenance.

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 FoundationÕs 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 but use of the languages of interest, for quotation or exemplification would be appropriate.

Organizers:
Joseph Blythe, Broome, Western Australia
McKenna Brown, Virginia Commonwealth University, USA
Nicholas Ostler, FEL, Bath, England
Chris Moseley, BBC Monitoring Service, England
Mahendra Verma, University of York, England
Karen Johnson-Weiner, SUNY-Potsdam, USA
Louanna Furbee, University of Missouri, USA

Abstract Submission:
Abstracts should not exceed 500 words. They can be submitted in either
of two ways: (preferably) by electronic submission, but alternatively on
paper. They should be in English.

A) Electronic submission:
Electronic submission (by 9th March 2003) should be as attachment in
Word format in email message to R. McKenna Brown at McKenna Brown <mbrown at saturn.vcu.edu>.

B) Paper abstracts:
Three copies should be sent, (again, for delivery by 9th March), 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 9th March
* Committee's decision 13th April
* Authors submit camera-ready text 29th June
* Conference 22nd-24th September

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