The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names (UNGEGN) Working Groups, Brussels, Belgium, October 10-13 2018

UNGEGN Working Groups and Divisions invite you to join them in Brussels, Belgium from 10 to 13 October 2018 to share knowledge, experiences, and thoughts on the role and importance of expert knowledge in the standardization of geographical names. The audience targeted are experts in geographical names as well as all others interested in the symposium theme “Role and importance of expert knowledge in the standardization of geographical names”. The main venue for the meeting will be the Prins Albert Club, Karmelietenstraat 20 / Rue des Petits Carmes 20, 1000 Brussels, Belgium.

This symposium seeks to share knowledge, experiences and thoughts on the role and importance of expert knowledge in all steps towards a standardized name, including the establishment of a national framework for standardization, the selection of name varieties for a given geographical feature, the determination of a written form, and the implementation, promotion and evaluation of authorized name forms to their implementation and integration in geospatial information management systems.

To participate in this event and wish to register please contact Jasper Hogerwerf at
Jasper.Hogerwerf@kadaster.nl. Please note that registration closes on 5
th September 2018.

A downloadable version of the announcement may be found here.

For more about this professional group or other related UNGEGN events, see the official website.

Call for Papers: International Conference Language in the Media 8, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, July 23rd-26 2019

The International Conference Language in the Media 8 will be hosted by the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) and the Federal University of the State of Rio de Janeiro (UNIRIO) from July 23rd to 26, 2019. The conference aims to discuss the theme mediatising resistance. The relation between language and the mediatisation of resistance is particularly relevant these days in view of the intensification of tensions, bigotry, and polarization we have been witnessing worldwide.

A well-established body of research indicates that this state of conflict is partly articulated in media communication. It also shows just how high the stakes rise when attrition gets commodified. Although media interaction involves complex and layered power relations, it only exists amidst constant battles for meaning and contextualization. One can thus say that the production, circulation and interpretation of media texts are always power-resistance actions. However, the dynamics of these complementary practices and their transformation possibilities still demand thorough exploration. Foucault has taught us that power games are fluid and relational and, as such, are prone to instability and insubordination. These concerns embody the conference’s focus on struggles for domination-reversal enhanced by media semiosis. These topics will be addressed in keynotes by Daniel Silva (UFSC, Brazil), Deborah Cameron (University of Oxford, UK), and H. Samy Alim (UCLA, USA).

While favoring the focus on power-resistance processes, LinM8 will keep the interest in other broad sociolinguistic topics and their relations to processes of mediatisation. Submissions whose focus lies in the following areas are welcome:

Language standardization and style
Language policy and practice
Language acquisition
Multilingualism and cross-/inter-cultural communication
Communication in professional contexts
Representations of speech, thought, and writing
Language and class, dis/ability, race/ethnicity, gender/sexuality and age
Political discourse, commerce and global capitalism
Language and education

The deadline for submission is 10 October 2018. Abstracts in English or Portuguese must be 300 words long and must be submitted via EasyCair in this link. Notification of acceptance will be given by December 10th, 2018.

More information can be found on the conference website. A downloadable version of the Call for Papers can be found here.

Registration opens for the 2019 ANS Conference, New York City, NY, January 3-6, 2019

Registration is now open for the 2019 ANS Conference in New York City, NY. The ANS conference will take place in conjunction with the Linguistics Society of American (LSA) Conference from January 3-6, 2019.

To register, you must join the ANS or renew your ANS membership.

Note that to renew your ANS membership, you will be redirected to the Taylor & Francis website where you will need to enter information from your renewal notice.

Once your membership is up to date, you can register online here, or download a PDF of the Conference Registration Form and mail it to ANS Treasurer Saundra Wright, as per the instructions on the form.

For more information about the ANS Conference and the LSA Conference, including rate and hotel information, please visit our Conference Page.

Call for Papers: 2019 ANS Conference Special Panel on Names, Naming, Gender, Sex, and Sexual Orientation

The ANS is currently inviting abstract submissions for this special panel on Names, Naming, Gender, Sex, and Sexual Orientation at the 2019 annual conference, which will be to be held in conjunction with the Linguistic Society of America. Although all topics within the theme are welcomed, papers dealing with the following questions are of particular interest: 1) general naming trends and controversies within the LGBT community; 2) official naming policies and laws for the designation of gender, sex, and sexual orientation; 3) considerations around name selection and name changes for trans people; 4) the intersection of gender, power, and naming for LGBT people.

The deadline for receipt of abstracts is August 15, 2018. To submit a proposal, simply send in a 350-word abstract (excluding references), a 100-word shortened version, and a 80-word biographical sketch in prose. Please email these materials to Dr. I. M. Nick using the following address: mavi.yaz@web.de. For organizational purposes, please be sure to include the phrase “ANS-Gender 2019” in the subject line of your email. All proposals will be subject to independent blind review. Official notifications of proposal acceptances will be sent on or before October 1, 2018. All authors whose papers have been accepted must be current members of both the ANS and the Linguistic Society of America. Please feel free to contact Dr. I. M. Nick mavi.yaz@web.de or Ms. Laurel Sutton laurelasutton@gmail.com should have you any questions or concerns.

A downloadable PDF of the call for papers can be found here.

We look forward to receiving your submission!

Call for Papers (Third Extended Call): ANS 2019, New York City, NY, January 3-6, 2019

The ANS is inviting abstract submissions for the 2019 annual conference to be held in conjunction with the Linguistic Society of America. Abstracts in any area of onomastic research are welcome. The deadline for receipt of abstracts is July 31, 2018. To submit a proposal, simply complete the 2019 Author Information Form.

Please email this completed form to Dr. Dorothy Dodge Robbins using the following address: drobbins@latech.edu. For organizational purposes, please be sure to include the phrase “ANS 2019” in the subject line of your email. Presenters who may need additional time to secure international payments and travel visas to the United States are urged to submit their proposal as soon as possible.

All proposals will be subjected to blind review. Official notification of proposal acceptances will be sent on or before September 30, 2018. All authors whose papers have been accepted must be current members of the ANS and need to register with both the ANS and the Linguistic Society of America. Please feel free to contact Dr. Dorothy Dodge Robbins should you have any questions or concerns.

A downloadable PDF of the Call for Papers can be found here.

We look forward to receiving your submission!

Extended Call for Papers: 2019 ANS Conference Special Panel on Names and Tourism

EXTENDED DEADLINE – July 31st, 2018

The ANS is inviting abstract submissions for a panel on Names and Tourism for the 2019 annual conference, to be held in New York in conjunction with the Linguistic Society of America. The purpose of the panel is to highlight research in and the study of names in relation to tourism discourses. More specifically, naming practices in tourism are relevant as they suggest distinction, originality, authenticity or even romance for a number of reasons. The range of issues at stake is quite broad as it may include linguistic, literary, historical and archeological references to local traditions as well as the strategies adopted to rebrand places to make them more appealing to potential visitors.

All names enthusiasts are invited to submit an abstract for a 20-minute presentation. Abstract proposals should focus on one or more of the following areas of interest:

archaeological sites and tourism
film/documentary-induced tourism
history, collective memory and tourism discourses
literature-induced tourism
tangible/ intangible heritage tourism

To submit a proposal, simply send a 250-word abstract proposal and a 100- word professional biography to Luisa Caiazzo [luisa.caiazzo@unibas.it] by the 31th of July 2018. For organizational purposes, please be sure to include the phrase “ANS 2019 Panel” in the subject line of your email.

All proposals will be subjected to blind review. Official notification of proposal acceptances will be sent on or before September 30, 2018. All authors whose papers have been accepted must be current members of the ANS and are expected to register with both the ANS and the Linguistic Society of America. Please feel free to contact Luisa Caiazzo should you have any questions or concerns.

A downloadable version of the extended call for papers can be found here.

We look forward to receiving your submission!

Call for Papers (Third Extended Call): ANS 2019, New York City, NY, January 3-6, 2019

A downloadable PDF of the Call for Papers can be found here.

We look forward to receiving your submission!

Call for Papers: 2019 ANS Conference Special Panel on Names and Tourism

All names enthusiasts are invited to submit an abstract for a 20-minute presentation. Abstract proposals should focus on one or more of the following areas of interest:

archaeological sites and tourism
film/documentary-induced tourism
history, collective memory and tourism discourses
literature-induced tourism
tangible/ intangible heritage tourism

To submit a proposal, simply send a 250-word abstract proposal and a 100- word professional biography to Luisa Caiazzo [luisa.caiazzo@unibas.it] by the 15th of July 2018. For organizational purposes, please be sure to include the phrase “ANS 2019 Panel” in the subject line of your email.

All proposals will be subjected to blind review. Official notification of proposal acceptances will be sent on or before September 30, 2018. All authors whose papers have been accepted must be current members of the ANS and are expected to register with both the ANS and the Linguistic Society of America. Please feel free to contact Luisa Caiazzo should you have any questions or concerns.

A downloadable version of the call for papers can be found here.

We look forward to receiving your submission!

Call for Papers: 2019 ANS Conference Special Panel on Literary Names

The ANS is inviting abstract submissions for a panel on Literary Names for the 2019 annual conference to be held in conjunction with the Linguistic Society of America. The purpose of the panel is to highlight research in, and study of, names in works of fiction.

All professional names enthusiasts are invited to submit an abstract for a 20-minute presentation. Abstract proposals should answer one or more of the following questions:

How do the texts under analysis make use of onomastics to establish and convey character and/or plot?
How does linguistic analysis bear on the reading of these texts?
How is the field of onomastics enhanced by your research?

To submit a proposal, simply send a 250-word abstract proposal and a 100- word professional biography to Susan Behrens [sbehrens@mmm.edu] by the 15th of July 2018. For organizational purposes, please be sure to include the phrase “ANS 2019 Panel” in the subject line of your email.

All proposals will be subjected to blind review. Official notification of proposal acceptances will be sent on or before September 30, 2018. All authors whose papers have been accepted must be current members of the ANS and need to register with both the ANS and the Linguistic Society of America. Please feel free to contact Susan Behrens should you have any questions or concerns.

We look forward to receiving your submission!

Call for Papers: Personal Names and Cultural Reconstructions, Helsinki, Finland, August 21–23 2019

The international conference Personal Names and Cultural Reconstructions in August 2019 highlights anthroponymic systems within a historical context. Papers of the conference address the various names and naming systems with a historically grounded cultural significance. The theme of the conference draws increased international attention: the issues of personal names in various historical and cultural settings are increasingly addressed by researchers in linguistics, onomastics, history, ethnology and other disciplines.

The Call for Papers can be found here.

Abstract submission opens 15 September 2018. The deadline for submitting paper and poster proposals is 15 December 2018.