37.2311, Confs: 3rd Tunisian Systemic Functional Linguistics Conference and Workshop (Tunisia)

[The LINGUIST List]

LINGUIST List: Vol-37-2311. Fri Jul 10 2026. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 37.2311, Confs: 3rd Tunisian Systemic Functional Linguistics Conference and Workshop (Tunisia)

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Date: 09-Jul-2026
From: Basma Bouziri [basmabouziri at yahoo.fr]
Subject: 3rd Tunisian Systemic Functional Linguistics Conference and Workshop


3rd Tunisian Systemic Functional Linguistics Conference and Workshop
Short Title: TSFLC 3
Theme: Social change and periphery voices in SFL and related theories

Date: 22-Mar-2027 - 24-Mar-2027
Location: Hammamet, Tunisia
Meeting URL: https://www.syflat.org/tsflc3/

Linguistic Field(s): Applied Linguistics; Discipline of Linguistics;
Discourse Analysis; Linguistic Theories; Text/Corpus Linguistics

Submission Deadline: 26-Nov-2026

We are pleased to invite submissions for the 3rd Tunisian Systemic
Functional Linguistics Conference (TSFLC 3). This edition focuses on
the role of SFL in understanding and shaping social change,
particularly through perspectives emerging from the margins and
peripheries in diverse semiotic and social practices.
Systemic Functional Linguistics sees language as a social semiotic act
that not only maintains and supports the existing eco-social order,
but also “nudg[es] it in the directions in which that eco-social order
is going to change” (Halliday, 2013, p. 36). As an inclusive theory
grounded in the relationship between meaning and context, SFL offers
powerful tools that help understand how power and meaning are
distributed between a dominant center and a marginalized periphery and
how social change can be initiated by marginalized groups. This
relationship is fractal in nature and appears across different strata
of SFL theory. For example, we observe it in the experiential grammar,
where the “nuclear” Process is distinguished from an expanding circle
of peripheral circumstances and where Participants are either central
or marginal (Halliday & Matthiessen, 2014). It is likewise apparent in
interpersonal meanings through Appraisal and the modelling of
evaluation, heteroglossia, solidarity, stance, and (dis)alignment as
resources for construing audiences and collectivities (Martin & White,
2005). The dynamics of center and margin can also be observed within
the textual dimensions, enabling us to make sense of how information
is prioritized through Thematization (Berry, 2013) and how different
semiotic modes (visuals vs. text) negotiate special arrangements,
centrality vs. satellites, or degrees of salience (Wegener,
forthcoming; Zappavigna, 2026).
In the social distribution of meaning, institutional power validates
central ways of meaning while treating others as socially peripheral
(Hasan, 2009). Meanwhile, within the tension of Individuation, the
specific “repertoire” of the individual voice must constantly
negotiate its alignment with, or opposition to, the "reservoir" of the
community culture (Bernstein, 2000). Comparable semiotic pressures are
now extending into human-AI interactions, giving rise to major
controversies about AI roles and biases.
In this era marked by rapid social and technological transformations,
the rise of marginalized voices and the growing emphasis on individual
agency, we contend that mainstream SFL along with SFL-aligned
frameworks and methodologies can offer valuable tools for
understanding and interpreting these shifts.
Against this backdrop, this conference invites contributions that
explore, extend, or challenge these perspectives. Contributions can
take the form of paper presentations, panels/colloquia, posters, and
workshops pertaining, but not restricted, to the following themes:
 - Individualism and collectivism in theories, social and digital
contexts and research methods
 - The center and periphery/margin in theories, arts, social contexts
and research methods
 - SFL and meaning making across human and non-human interactions
 - SFL and multimodality
 - SFL and Ecolinguistics
 - SFL and transdisciplinary theories and methods
 - SFL and professional, institutional and specialized discourses and
contexts
 - SFL, translanguaging, multilingualism and language policies
 - SFL and translation
 - SFL and decolonization
 - SFL and educational applications
 - SFL and individuals with specific (dis)abilities
 - SFL and usage-based approaches to language learning and teaching
 - SFL, texts and corpora
 - SFL and media studies
Plenary Speakers:
Anne McCabe (Saint Louis University, Madrid)
John Bateman (Bremen University, Germany)
Sadok Dammak (Sfax University, Tunisia)
Serge Sharoff (Leeds University, UK)
Stella Newmann (RWTH Aachen University, Germany)
Important Dates:
Submission Start Date: 7 September 2026
Submission Deadline: 26 November 2026
Notification of Acceptance: 5 December 2026
Early Bird Registration: 5 Jan – 5 Feb 2027
Regular Registration: 6 February - 5 March 2027
Conference Days: 22-24 March 2027
For more information and updates, please visit our conference website:
www.syflat.org/tsflc3



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