36.2174, Confs: 37th International Conference on Foreign/Second Language Acquisition (Poland)

[The LINGUIST List]

LINGUIST List: Vol-36-2174. Wed Jul 16 2025. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 36.2174, Confs: 37th International Conference on Foreign/Second Language Acquisition (Poland)

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Date: 15-Jul-2025
From: Katarzyna Papaja [katarzyna.papaja at us.edu.pl]
Subject: 37th International Conference on Foreign/Second Language Acquisition


37th International Conference on Foreign/Second Language Acquisition
Short Title: ICFSLA2026
Theme: Intercultural Pragmatics in Language Learning and Beyond:
Humans, Contexts, and AI Interfaces

Date: 28-May-2026 - 30-May-2026
Location: Szczyrk, Poland
Contact: Institute of Linguistics, University of Silesia in Katowice
Contact Email: icfsla at us.edu.pl
Meeting URL: https://icfsla.us.edu.pl/

Linguistic Field(s): Applied Linguistics; General Linguistics;
Language Acquisition; Pragmatics
Subject Language(s): English (eng)

Submission Deadline: 31-Jan-2026

We are pleased to announce the 37th edition of the International
Conference on Foreign / Second Language Acquisition (ICFSLA), to be
held in Szczyrk, Poland, in May 2026. Organised annually by the
Institute of Linguistics at the University of Silesia in Katowice,
ICFSLA has, for over three decades, served as a vibrant forum for
scholars from around the world to engage in discussions on current
developments in second and foreign language acquisition, applied
linguistics, multilingualism, and language pedagogy.
The upcoming edition of ICFSLA will take place under exceptional
circumstances, which we feel bound to acknowledge openly and
respectfully. In 2025, the global linguistic community suffered a
profound loss with the passing of Professor Istvan Kecskes, the
founding figure and intellectual force behind the Intercultural
Pragmatics Association (INPRA) and its biannual conferences. As
co-organisers of what was to be the 11th INPRA conference, we at the
University of Silesia in Katowice had been preparing to host the event
jointly with Professor Kecskes. Sadly, his passing in February 2025
put an end to these plans.
In light of this, and in close consultation with colleagues and
members of the ICFSLA scientific community, we have made the decision
not to take over the organisation of INPRA, as we believe its unique
identity should not be continued without its founder’s guidance and
vision. However, as a longstanding partner and committed advocate of
intercultural pragmatics research, we also feel it is our duty to
honour Professor Kecskes’ immense contribution to the field and to
provide a space for its ongoing exploration. For this reason, the
ICFSLA 2026 conference will take the form of a tribute edition, with
the central theme dedicated to intercultural pragmatics and its
intersection with language learning, teaching, and technology-enhanced
communication. We warmly invite papers that explore the role of
pragmatic competence in second and foreign language acquisition, both
in traditional and digitally mediated environments, and that
investigate how learners navigate meaning, intention, and cultural
appropriacy across communicative contexts.
In line with our conference's forward-looking ethos, we are also keen
to include a novel area of inquiry: the pragmatics of human–AI
interaction. As AI-driven Large Language Models (LLMs) become
increasingly present in educational and communicative practices, new
questions arise about how users interpret, adapt, and negotiate
meaning in exchanges with artificial agents. We believe that these
interactions represent a new frontier in intercultural communication –
one that both reflects and reshapes the pragmatics of human-human
dialogue.
Possible areas of focus include, but are not limited to:
 - Intercultural pragmatic competence in SLA
 - Speech acts, politeness, implicature, and relevance in L2 learning
 - Pragmatic transfer and instruction in multilingual classrooms
 - L2 learner interaction in online, hybrid, or AI-assisted
environments
 - Human–AI communication from a pragmatic perspective
 - LLMs as pragmatic interlocutors and/or pedagogical tools
 - Emerging norms in AI-mediated intercultural exchanges
However, the submission of other topics for consideration is welcome
and we also encourage sessions within and across a variety of
disciplines and fields related to Second Language Acquisition for our
varia session. In other words, please do not hesitate to consider
submitting your proposal even if it does not fit the main theme of the
conference. The choice of the topic to be presented, as long as it
relates to SLA in some way, is no obstacle to its acceptance as a
presentation. As in previous years, the conference will feature
plenary talks by internationally recognised experts, thematic
sessions, and opportunities for networking and collaboration in the
stunning mountain setting of Szczyrk. We are pleased to announce that
the following scholars have accepted our invitation to deliver plenary
talks during our conference:
 - Maria Economidou Kogetsidis (University of Nicosia)
 - Zhu Hua (University College, London)
 - Barbara Lewandowska-Tomaszczyk (University of Łódź)
 - Anthony Liddicoat (University of Warwick)
 - Agnieszka Piskorska (University of Warsaw)
 - Helen Spencer-Oatey (University of Warwick)
We invite all scholars, educators, and students interested in second
language acquisition, intercultural pragmatics, and human-AI
communication to join us for this special edition of ICFSLA, where we
will both celebrate a long-standing tradition and explore a rapidly
changing linguistic future. Further information, including the call
for papers and submission deadlines, will be available on our website:
https://www.icfsla.us.edu.pl



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