Language Endangerment: Language Contact and the Community
July 9th 2025
Venue
Alison Richard Building, 7 West Road, Cambridge CB3 9DT
Organisers
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Mari Jones (French Section, Faculty of Modern & Medieval Languages & Linguistics / Peterhouse, University of Cambridge) mcj11@cam.ac.uk
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Oliver Mayeux (French Section, Faculty of Modern & Medieval Languages & Linguistics / Trinity College, University of Cambridge) ofm23@cam.ac.uk
Call for papers
Languages become endangered where their speakers are in contact with other speech varieties which are considered to carry greater social prestige. Research in this area has revealed these situations often bring about linguistic changes in the structure of one or more of these varieties. This conference invites papers that reflect on these issues: How are the structures of an endangered language affected by contact? Are there particular kinds of variation and change that are more likely to occur in endangered languages? What kind of structural innovations might new speakers introduce in contexts of revitalization and how should these be incorporated in the documentation of these varieties? What methodological approaches are appropriate for the investigation of variation in contact-induced language change in endangered varieties? What are the attitudes of speakers towards variation and change in speech communities where a language is endangered, and do those attitudes have any bearing on language practices?
Abstracts (200 words maximum) to be submitted via email to the organisers by 10 April 2025. Please include in the abstract document your name and your affiliation as you would like to see them in the programme.
We regret that we cannot offer the possibility of virtual participation at the conference.
Registration
Please click here to register your place online. The standard fee is £30 with a reduced fee of £25 for students (proof of student status will need to be presented). This includes lunches and refreshments at the conference. Please note that all bookings and payment have to be made via this website. We regret that there is no provision for delegates to pay on the day. Bookings that are not accompanied by payment will not be registered on the system.
Accommodation
The organisers are unable to arrange or help book accommodation. However, the following websites may be useful:
