forward: Interdisciplinary Seminar on Language, Love, and Sexuality

[Mary Bucholtz]

CALL FOR PAPERS

Kingston University is pleased to announce:

Love is a many splendoured thing! Interdisciplinary seminar on language,
love and sexuality

Kingston University, 8-9 April 2002

Keynote lecture by Professor Jennifer Coates (University of Surrey Roehampton)


The objectives of the seminar are:

 To provide an appropriate forum for discussing and exploring some of the
relationships between language, love and sexuality across languages,
cultures, and disciplines

 To discuss and explore the plurality of meanings and expressions of love
and sexual identities

 To bring together various disciplines working in these areas and to
promote collaborative interdisciplinary study in the area of language,
love, sexuality and sexual relationships

Some of the most prominent issues we hope to explore during the seminar
include:

 How people use various linguistic features (lexis, intonation, grammar,
conversation structure etc) to construct their sexual identities and
relationships

 How people express love and desire through a variety of linguistic features

 What people's linguistic behaviour reveals about the different
conceptualisations of love and sexuality

 How membership of specific social groups, based on sexual and lifestyle
choice, may be signalled through language

 How social and political ideologies/discourses of love and sexuality may
be identified and constructed through language
This list is by no means exhaustive and we would welcome contributions on
other related issues.

Although the seminar aims to explore the relationships between language,
love and sexuality, we do not wish to restrict participation to those
working within linguistics. As one of the principle aims of the seminar is
to promote interdisciplinary study within the area of love and sexuality,
coverage of the issues is welcomed from any relevant discipline, providing
a discussion of the role that language plays is central to the
contribution. Love and sexuality pervade every area of life, including
language, and we hope that the proposed seminar will reflect this. Other
such disciplines could be (the list is not exhaustive):


 Sociology

 Psychology

 Gender studies

 Literature

 Women's studies

 Languages

The ethos of the seminar is intended to be one of acceptance, respect and
equality. 'Love' and 'sexuality' will not be restricted to certain
categories and specific kinds of love and sexuality will not be given
preference over others. Therefore, special theme sessions will be set up to
explore the following areas:


 Women, language, and culture

 Masculinity

 Queer studies


Your contribution to the seminar
We welcome contributions on any topic which is relevant to the themes and
objectives of the seminar as outlined above. Papers are expected to last 20
minutes followed by 10 minutes for discussion.
Abstracts should be between 100-150 words and the deadline for receipt is
Friday 22nd February 2002. Please send your abstract by email to
s.kyratzis at kingston.ac.uk. Please include with your abstract your name,
affiliation, email and postal addresses.

Seminar registration fee - £20

We look forward to hearing from you.

Sakis Kyratzis (Seminar co-ordinator)
s.kyratzis at kingston.ac.uk

Helen Sauntson (Seminar co-ordinator)
h.sauntson at kingston.ac.uk