Conference announcement: International Symposium on European Minotiry Languages & Research

[McGinnis, Scott]

1st Mercator International Symposium on European Minority Languages and
Research

Short Title: 1st Mercator Symposium
Location: Abersystwyth, United Kingdom

Date: 08-Apr-2003 - 10-Apr-2003
Web Site: http://www.aber.ac.uk/%7Emerwww/indeng.htm
Contact Person: George Jones
Meeting Email: george.jones at aber.ac.uk
Linguistic Subfield(s): General Linguistics

Meeting Description:

This two-day symposium will take a wide-ranging look at the research
and information agenda for minority languages in the global age,
pinpointing priorities in the fields of academic research and
dissemination of information and awareness around European minority
languages. The discussion will look at the degree to which the
existing corpus of research and documentation on various aspects of
minority languages supplies the needs of minority language speakers
and communities and the extent to which it facilitates processes of
language revitalisation and normalisation. Presentation This two-day
symposium will take a wide-ranging look at the research and
information agenda for minority languages in the global age,
pinpointing priorities in the fields of academic research and
dissemination of information and awareness around European minority
languages. The discussion will look at the degree to which the
existing corpus of research and documentation on various aspects of
minority languages supplies the needs of minority language speakers
and communities and the extent to which it facilitates processes of
language revitalisation and normalisation.

The conference will be an opportunity for participants to present
their own most recent work and to indicate what they see as the
'cutting edge' of research and information activity in their
field. Contributions will be welcomed from those working with minority
languages and their promotion in other professions. The discussion
will seek to bring together academic research and language promotion,
examining ways in which one can supply the needs of the other.  NOTE:
The last date for presenting papers is January 28, 2003.

We envisage that the major strands of the conference may include the
following, although we remain open to propositions which may not
precisely fit any of these categories, or which may relate to more
than one:

1. Minority Languages and the Media, including particularly the
internet
2. Minority Languages and Education
3. Minority Languages, Legislation and Language Planning
4. Minority Languages and Economics
5. Minority Languages in New EU Member States / Eastern Europe
6. Minority Languages and Linguistics (including descriptive
linguistics, sociolinguistics, applied linguistics etc)
7. Language transmission / acquisition
8. Territory and migration in relation to minority languages
9. Language and cultural change in the wake of globalisation

We also want to emphasise certain 'overarching' themes, i.e. ones
which cut across all the above categories, for instance globalisation
and the linkage between research and language promotion or
revitalisation. In all categories emphasis should be on innovative
work, the identification of lacunae, and perceived needs of
communities at both at grass roots level and in the political sphere.

For further information
Mercator Media
george.jones at aber.ac.uk