The first student-run Georgetown University Linguistic LandscapeSymposium will be held at Georgetown University on April 15, 2011, on the new and emerging topic of Linguistic Landscape: the use of all forms of language in public space. With the development of the field of LL in various places worldwide, we would like to present the opportunity for our fellow students and researchers to share research and get feedback from their peers in a supportive environment. Topics can range from the use of language in urban centers to the Internet’s variety of multimodal representations of public messages. The types of communication that arise from reactions to these media fit the topic as well, so long as the crucial questions are addressed: how do we construct and perceive language in the public domain, and how does it affect our own reactions and interactions?
Symposium participants will include Dr. Elana Shohamy (University ofTel Aviv), Dr. Cecilia Castillo-Ayometzi (Georgetown University), Dr. Aneta Pavlenko (Temple University), and other prominent scholars TBA.
We would like to dedicate this symposium to the memory of Ron Scollon, whose pioneering research was invaluable to the fields of geolinguistics and discourse analysis. After years of mentoring students and faculty alike at Georgetown, Dr. Scollon had a significant impact that was instrumental in the development of LL as a dynamic area of research. We hope that he would be proud to see students taking these topics, expanding upon them, and sharing their findings and theories with others.
Call for Papers
As this will be a symposium run primarily for and by students, we are primarily interested in student work (both undergraduate and graduate) that will be presented in open forum discussions, paper presentations,and a poster session. However, we encourage everyone to submit research for consideration.
Possible topics (including but not limited to): use of text and language in the virtual landscape, multilingualism in public discourse, the impact of media on the linguistic landscape, effects of multimodality in the LL, text in public space as a point of contention, influence of audio on the construction of space,interactions between textual artifacts and their viewers, etc.
Deadline for Abstract Submission: December 17, 2010
Notification of Acceptance: by January 18, 2011
Abstracts should contain information about the focus of the research, methodology used, preliminary results, preference of format (presentation or poster session), and implications of Linguistic Landscape in its broader definitions. Please note that presentations will be limited to 15 minutes, with ten minutes for questions/answers afterward. Abstracts should be limited to 300 words; please indicate if you will need A/V for your presentation. Accepted participants will be required to register by the early deadline.
We understand that the definition of LL is still being shaped and explored. If you aren’t certain that your work fits in, please contact us regarding your topic/research interest and we will be happy to discuss your work’s suitability/possible changes and refer to the number of publications in the area.
To read about some of the notable findings in the area of LL,
please refer to the following scholars' books:
Discourses in Place by Ron and Suzie Wong Scollon (2003)
Linguistic Landscape: A New Approach to Multilingualism by Durk Gorter (2006)
Linguistic Landscapes by Peter Backhaus (2007)
Linguistic Landscape: Expanding the Scenery,
edited by Elana Shohamyand Durk Gorter (2008)
Linguistic Landscape in the City,
edited by Elana Shohamy, EliezerBen-Rafael, and Monica Barni (2010)
For more information about the conference and LL, please have a look at our website: http://www7.georgetown.edu/students/gjn5/
Registration will open November 1st. Please see the website for details.
Early Registration: $15 by March 15th
Late Registration: $20 after March 15th
Lunch will be provided, and a happy hour will follow the conference.
We are looking forward to your participation and believe it will be a unique opportunity to share work and encourage new projects that are relevant to the ecology surrounding us.
Date: 4-15-2011
Location: Georgetown University, exact location TBD
Contacts: Greg Niedt, Corinne Seals
