Call for Abstracts: FEL X - VITAL VOICES: Endangered Languages & Multilingualism
Nicholas Ostler
nostler at CHIBCHA.DEMON.CO.UK
Thu Mar 23 15:52:19 UTC 2006
The Foundation for Endangered Languages: Tenth Conference in
association with the Central Institute of Indian Languages, Mysore,
India. 25-27 October 2006.
The Foundation for Endangered Languages, in association with the Central
Institute of Indian Languages, will hold its annual 2006 conference in
India, home of more than a thousand languages and dialects, and a
consciously multilingual policy stance by the Government of India.
Although many of these languages enjoy political and economic patronage,
others are struggling to survive. Among these strugglers are the
languages of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, where communities are not
only tiny, but also some of the most anciently independent tribes on the
planet. The viability of many such small languages is threatened.
This year's conference concerns the effects of multilingualism on
smaller languages. A crucial question for this conference is how far
poorly-conceived language planning policies may actually contribute to
environmental imbalance and instability, dangers that are often very
little understood. As we understand the effort to revitalize languages,
this is no more than the support they need to develop in the face of new
demands, including the increased bi- and multi-lingualism coming from
globalization, urbanization and language contact.
Some Issues for the Conference:
We hope to discuss these issues in terms of actual language situations
presented by our participants.
· Are minority languages threatened, or strengthened, through
bilingualism or multilingualism with other languages? Is it essential
for the survival of a small language to sustain a minimum-sized core
group of language-dominant speakers?
· What factors beside the prospect of competitive economic
benefits can sustain language use in a community (and indeed re-orient
the language planners)?
· Is bilingual language planning important for families based on
cross-cultural/linguistic marriages? More generally, what role is there
for language planners in the future of a small language or dialect? Is
language survival helped or hindered by a flexible policy in recognizing
what languages are actually in use?
· How significant are social networks for sustaining 'vital
voices'? Does the context of a consciously multilingual society foster
use of smaller languages? Is code-switching as common in small minority
communities and tribes as it is in the elites?
· How compatible is western-style formal education with
traditional language use? Are there other models for transmission?
· Are the prospects of minority languages affected by the
metropolitan languages through which they may be known to a wider world?
· Does a language's vitality benefit if it is not closely
related, or structurally similar, to its neighbours?
· Is language documentation the only feasible outside response
to the needs of vital but vanishing voices?
· How can modern -- often cheap -- technology benefit the
smallest languages?
'*Vital Voices'* refers to the growing awareness that the survival and
development of endangered languages are necessary for humanity's future,
however endangered they may look amidst the statistics generated for
policy in our globalized economy.
The Conference Venue
The *Central Institute of Indian Languages*, Mysore, (CIIL) was set up
by the Government of India in July 1969. It is a large institute with
seven regional centers spread all over India, and is engaged in research
and training in Indian languages other than English and Hindi. It helps
to evolve and implement India's language policy and coordinate the
development of Indian languages.* Mysore *is a city in the Southern
Indian <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/India> state of Karnataka
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karnataka>. The former capital of the
princely state of Mysore, ruled by the Wodeyar dynasty since the 14th
century, it is now the administrative seat of Mysore District
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mysore_District>, the second largest in
Karnataka, 135 km <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kilometre> from
Bangalore <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangalore>, the state capital.
The city is known for its palaces and many other attractions. One of
these is the Brindavan Gardens laid out beside the Krishnarajasagar dam
(19km), particularly beautiful at night. There are also the Royal
Palace, the Chamundi Hills, Srirangapatnam Temple, Ranganthittu Bird
Sanctuary, Oriental Research Institute, and Museums of Folklore, and of
Art and Archeology. The conference dates (25-27 October) will allow
participants, if they wish, to witness Diwali (the festival of lights)
on 23 October before coming to Mysore. A language-related excursion is
planned for 28-29 October after the conference.
Transport
*Bus*: Mysore has inter-city and sub-urban public bus transportation.
*Rail*: Mysore is connected to Bangalore
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangalore> to the northeast via Mandya
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandya>, and to Hassan
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hassan> to the northwest, to
Chamarajanagar <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chamarajanagar> via
Nanjangud <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanjangud> to the southeast.
*Air*: The nearest accessible airport is at Bangalore
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangalore>.
Submission of Abstracts
If you would like to take part in our conference, please submit an
abstract of your contribution. Abstracts should not exceed 500 words.
They may be submitted in either of two ways: by electronic submission,
or on paper. Most simply, they should be written in English. Other
languages may also be accepted by prior arrangement with the Programme
Chair Mahendra Verma mkv1 at york.ac.uk <mailto:mkv1 at york.ac.uk> or FEL
Chair Nicholas Ostler <nostler at chibcha.demon.co.uk>
<mailto:nostler at chibcha.demon.co.uk>
1) Electronic submission: Electronic submission (*by 18 April 2006*)
should be as an attachment in Word, or simply as an email message to
mkv1 at york.ac.uk <mailto:mkv1 at york.ac.uk>, with copies to
<FEL at chibcha.demon.co.uk> <mailto:FEL at chibcha.demon.co.uk> and
mallikarjun at ciil.stpmy.soft.net
<mailto:mallikarjun at ciil.stpmy.soft.net>. Please fill in the subject
domain as follows:
FEL_Abstract
The e-mail should also contain, in the following format:
NAME : Names of the author(s)
AFFILIATION(S): Institution(s) where the author(s) currently work
TITLE: Title of the paper
EMAIL: Email address of the first author, if any
ADDRESS: 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.
Note. The Conference announcement will also be placed on the net by
CIIL at www.ciil.org <http://www.ciil.org/> with facilities for
submission, and a step-by-step method of submission that will
automatically send copies of the abstract as above. Dr. B.Mallikarjun of
CIIL, Mysore (Tel: +91-821-2345007) will be the local point of contact
for participants.
2) Paper abstracts: Three copies should be sent (to arrive *by 18 April
2006*) to:
Dr Mahendra Verma
Dept of Language and Linguistic Science
University of York
York YO10 5DD
United Kingdom
fax +44 1904 432673
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
ADDRESS: 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 Mahendra Verma
mkv1 at york.ac.uk <mailto:mkv1 at york.ac.uk> informing him of the paper
submission. This is in case the hard copy does not reach its destination
in time. This e-mail should contain the information specified in the
above section.)
Important Notes for Authors
Oral presentations (except for any selected to be keynote addresses)
will last twenty minutes each, with a further ten minutes for
discussion. Authors will be expected to submit a written paper with the
full version of the lecture (up to 8 pages A4), for publication in the
proceedings, well in advance of the conference. Further details on the
format of text will be specified to the authors. Authors (and other
attendees) from outside India will also be required to inform the
organizers in advance of the following details: Passport Number,
Citizenship, Date and Place of Issue, for all who wish to be present
during the conference.
Important Dates
· Abstract arrival deadline - 18 April 2006
· Committee's decision - 30 April 2006
· Informing authors - 8 May 2006
· Conference Website with all abstracts - 15 May 2006
· In case of acceptance, the full paper needs to be sent by 31 August 2006.
· Conference - 25-27 October 2006
--
Foundation for Endangered Languages
Registered Charity: England and Wales 1070616
172 Bailbrook Lane, Bath BA1 7AA, England
+44-1225-852865 nostler at chibcha.demon.co.uk
http://www.ogmios.org
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