conference: Anglicisms in Europe

[Harold F. Schiffman]

Forwarded from Linguist-List:

Anglizismen in Europa / Anglicisms in Europe


Date: 26-Sep-2006 - 28-Sep-2006
Location: Regensburg, Bavaria, Germany
Contact: Roswitha Fischer
Meeting URL: http://www-AiE2006.uni-regensburg.de


Meeting Description:

This conference discusses functions of and attitudes towards anglicisms in
Europe. The focus of attention will be on language as a means of forming
identities and of distinguishing between oneself and others. Main topics
are:

1.Attitudes towards the influx of anglicisms ('Language Policy'),
2.The use of anglicisms in certain fields of discourse ('Languages for
Specific Purposes'), and
3.Anglicisms in dictionaries ('Lexicography and Corpus Linguistics')

Though the European countries are constantly growing closer, communication
between them can be quite complicated. As a Lingua Franca, English has a
key role in this process. Possessing an international means of
communication certainly has its merits, but it also involves a number of
problems, such as disadvantages due to lack of language proficiency, the
diversity of cultures and their history, and the different meaning
structures of various languages. In addition, national languages form
national identities, and a nation may fear being foreignized by means of
the anglophone culture, which is also represented by the English language.

The conference Anglizismen in Europa / Anglicisms in Europe at Regensburg
University wishes to make an intercultural and interdisciplinary
contribution to this complex and topical theme. Its aim is to bring out
common ground as well as the special qualities of various European
languages and cultures, and to examine their mutual influence. The focus
of attention will be on language as a means of forming identities and of
distinguishing between oneself and others and even on language as a basis
for prejudice. A central topic will also be the interplay between
linguistic factors on the one hand and political, social and cultural
factors on the other. A major objective is to sharpen awareness for the
great variety and diversity of cultures, traditions and developments,
resulting in further exchange and networking.

Subtopics:
1.Attitudes towards the influx of anglicisms ('Language Policy')
2.The use of anglicisms in certain fields of discourse ('Languages for
Specific Purposes')
3.Anglicisms in dictionaries ('Lexicography and Corpus Linguistics')

Ad 1) This section is about attitudes towards anglicisms, for instance the
question whether any institutional or other attempts have been made to
influence the influx of anglicisms into a language. Connected to this are
the attitudes towards one's own national language and culture, and whether
one considers these endangered and worthy of protection.

Ad 2) The number and type of anglicisms borrowed also depend on the
activities of a given nation. It seems therefore useful to focus on
particular practices and domains and examine the progress of
institutionalization of the processes involved. Questions to be addressed
are whether, and to what extent, the adopted technical vocabulary has
become part of the common vocabulary of the target language, and whether
attitudes towards English have been changed as a result.

Ad 3) One practical consequence of the increased number of anglicisms are
dictionaries of English loan words and bilingual dictionaries of technical
jargon. In many European languages considerable efforts have been made to
produce such wordbooks. Regarding lexicographic matters, the conference
should provide a platform for exchanging information, support and
experiences, as well as for establishing future networks.

At the end of the conference it is planned to submit a paper to the
European Union, outlining the results of the conference and making
recommendations on how to deal with anglicisms in Europe



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