37.2942, Confs: 13th Creolistics Workshop - Taming Chaos: Linguistic Diversity, Bilingual Optimization, and Semantic Transparency. In memory of Pieter C. Muysken (1950-2021) and Pieter A.M. Seuren (1934-2021) (Netherlands)

Wed Sep 16 09:05:02 UTC 2026

LINGUIST List: Vol-37-2942. Wed Sep 16 2026. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 37.2942, Confs: 13th Creolistics Workshop - Taming Chaos: Linguistic Diversity, Bilingual Optimization, and Semantic Transparency. In memory of Pieter C. Muysken (1950-2021) and Pieter A.M. Seuren (1934-2021) (Netherlands)

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Date: 14-Sep-2026
From: Luis Miguel Rojas Berscia [luismiguel.rojasberscia at ru.nl]
Subject: 13th Creolistics Workshop - Taming Chaos: Linguistic Diversity, Bilingual Optimization, and Semantic Transparency. In memory of Pieter C. Muysken (1950-2021) and Pieter A.M. Seuren (1934-2021)

13th Creolistics Workshop - Taming Chaos: Linguistic Diversity,
Bilingual Optimization, and Semantic Transparency. In memory of Pieter
C. Muysken (1950-2021) and Pieter A.M. Seuren (1934-2021)
Short Title: Taming Chaos: Linguistic Diversity, Bilingual Opti
Theme: 13th Creolistics Workshop

Date: 17-Feb-2027 - 19-Feb-2027
Location: Nijmegen, Netherlands

Linguistic Field(s): Anthropological Linguistics; Discipline of
Linguistics; Historical Linguistics; Linguistic Theories; Typology

Submission Deadline: 20-Nov-2026

Time and Place: Nijmegen, Radboud University Campus, Erasmus Tower
E9.18, February 17–19, 2027, organised by Radboud University and
Utrecht University
Background of the Creolistics Workshop Series:
The Creolistics Workshop series started as an initiative launched by
the late Philip Baker in April 1994 with a conference at the
University of Westminster, London, to provide a forum of exchange and
mutual inspiration for the creolist community. The conference has
since been held in London (UK), Amsterdam (NL), Giessen (D) and Aarhus
(DK). After a period of inactivity, the conference series was resumed
in December 2025 in Aarhus. We are proud to host the Thirteenth
Creolistics Workshop from February 17-19, 2027, in Nijmegen, The
Netherlands.
The workshops are traditionally low threshold, with no registration
fees and no invited keynote speakers, for an optimal exchange of
findings, insights and opinions between scholars at various stages of
their careers (early/senior, independent/university, etc.). With
presentations, panel discussions and other interactive activities, the
format of the workshop facilitates lively discussion and inspiring
dialogue.
The 13th edition is dedicated to the memory of Nijmegen’s two greatest
creolists, Pieter C. Muysken and Pieter A. M. Seuren, who laid the
foundations of the field in several ways and inspired a myriad of
schools in the fields of Creolistics and contact linguistics in
particular, and linguistics in general.
Workshop Description:
For this 13th edition, the main focus will be on contact languages and
language contact, with a focus on minoritised varieties, creoles,
mixed languages, pidgins, and newly emerging contact varieties.
In particular, we will pay attention to two phenomena advocated by our
deeply missed colleagues, namely bilingual optimisation strategies (P.
Muysken, 2013) and the Principle of Semantic Transparency (PST) (q.v.
Seuren & Wekker, 1986 for the theory; P. C. Muysken, 2000 for a case
study in the Amazon; Rojas-Berscia, 2020 for a case study in Taiwan).
Although particular attention has been recently paid to the social
dynamics behind language contact and change, these two approaches deal
with the intrasystematic consequences of contact, with relevance for
Creolistics and all related subfields.
Call for Papers and Abstracts:
We cordially invite abstracts for oral presentations at the 13th
edition of the Creolistics Workshop, to be held in Nijmegen on
February 17-19.
For this workshop, we would like to invite contributions from scholars
working on contact languages from descriptive, typological,
psycholinguistic or formal perspectives. Presentations dealing with
the syntax, morphology, phonology, semantics or pragmatics of contact
languages are also welcome. In line with previous Creolistics
workshops, priority is given to data-driven approaches and empirical
investigations (which may include native speaker judgements) of
various phenomena attested in creoles and other contact varieties).
Papers dealing with theoretical and methodological developments in the
field of language contact studies are equally welcome.
The working language of the conference is English. Papers in other
languages, particularly creoles and mixed languages, are also
welcomed, provided the slides are (also) in English.
The time allotted to papers will be 20 minutes, with 10 minutes for
questions and discussion. Proposals for discussion panels are also
welcome, in particular on community involvement in language contact
research or the use of AI in research and knowledge dissemination on
contact languages.
The length of the abstracts should not exceed 300 words, excluding
references. Please send your anonymised abstract or proposal for
discussion panel to pidgincreole-nijmegen at ru.nl
Abstract submission and deadline: 20 November 2026
Notification of acceptance: 01 December 2026
Local Organising Committee:
Margot van den Berg
Janine Berns
Luis Miguel Rojas-Berscia
Kristoffer Friis Bøegh
Anna Serke

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