From the 7th to the 8th of June 2018, the international conference, “Terminology and Ontology: Theories and Applications” (TOTh2018) will take place in Chambéry, France at the University Savoie Mont-Blanc. The purpose of TOTh is to bring together researchers and practitioners who work on terminology, language, and knowledge engineering. The annual events that TOTh organizes include a conference, a training session, and a Workshop. Under the patronage of an international scientific committee, the TOTh Conferences cover an extensive field of studies and research concerning terminology and/or ontology. The conference languages are French and English; and the deadline for abstracts is January 26, 2018. Interested in learning more? Details about the conference can be found at the website, and the call for papers can be downloaded here.
Exhibition: Landscapes Below: Mapping and the New Science of Geology, Cambridge University Library, 11/17-3/18
“Landscapes Below: Mapping and the New Science of Geology“, a new exhibition curated by Allison Ksiazkiewicz, is now open. Featuring the biggest-ever object (1.9mx1.6m) to go on display at the Library — George Bellas Greenough’s 1819 A Geological Map of England and Wales (the first map produced by the Geological Society of London), as well as a visually stunning collection of maps from the earliest days of geology – the exhibition explores how these new subterranean visions of the British landscape influenced our understanding of the Earth. All the maps belonging to the library are going on display for the first time.
The exhibit runs from November 24, 2017 to March 29, 2018 at Cambridge University Library’s Milstein Exhibition Centre. Admission is free. Opening times are Mon-Fri 9am-6pm and Saturday 9am-16.30pm. Closed Sundays. Also please note that it is also CLOSED 24 December 2017 to 1 January 2018 inclusive (i.e. between Christmas and New Year).
Why the Danish Town of Aabenraa Refuses to Change Its Name
Aabenraa, Danemark
Aabenraa’s name comes from aaben strand, or Danish for “open beach.” Denmark had long used “aa” to represent a Danish vowel sound that’s elusive for English speakers, but is kind of similar to the vowel in our word “caught.” But in 1948, the country decided to reform its spelling, replacing “aa” with “å”. That’s how this vowel is written in every other Scandinavian language. As a result, the Danish Language Board recommended that Aabenraa rename itself “Åbenrå.”
In 1955, Denmark decided that their new letter “Å” would be the last letter of the alphabet, coming after “Z” in the dictionary. Aabenraa, which was accustomed to being the world’s very first town alphabetically, was unenthusiastic about moving to the very bottom of the list overnight. Read this fun and informative article at Condé Nast Traveler to find out more!
In Memoriam: Iona Opie, Folklorist and Children’s Literature Expert
Iona Opie. Photograph: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images
On the 23rd of October 2017, Iona Opie, internationally recognized folklorist of children’s literature and childlore passed away at the age of 94. Along with her husband, Peter, her legacy includes such publications as The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes (1951) and The Lore and Language of Schoolchildren (1959).
Their first publication was I Saw Esau (1947), a slim precursor of the wide spine of The Oxford Nursery Rhyme Book (1955). The Opies applied years of rigor to an oral culture too commonplace to have received attention before: their scholarship, informally communicated, was important to the postwar discovery of the words of ordinary people. “It took 50 generations to make up Mother Goose,” Iona said. “Nursery rhymes are the smallest great poems of the world’s literature.”
The Stories Behind High-End Brand Names
Nike, UNIQLO, Ray-Ban – just some of the familiar names for fashion lovers. Ever wonder where the names come from? Did you know that NYX should be pronounced “nicks” after the Greek goddess of the night? Or that ASOS stands for the company’s original name “As Seen On Screen” and “ghd” simply stands for “good hair day”? Check out the infographic at Beauty Flash for more information on how some of the top brands got their names.
Special Issue: 50th Anniversary of the Western Association of Map Libraries
The Western Association of Map Libraries is an independent association of map librarians and other people with an interest in maps and map librarianship. The November issue of the WAML Information Bulletin is a special issue commemorating the organization’s 50th Anniversary. Along with articles, book reviews, and new mapping of Western North America, this issue features a special segment dedicated to the late Mary Larsgaard. The issue can be found at the WAML website here.
Call for Papers: Names in Writing, NORNA 48th symposium, Gothenburg, Sweden, Nov 29-30 2018
From the 29th to the 30th of November 2018, a conference devoted to the subject of “Names in Writing” will take place in Gothenburg, Sweden. It will give scholars a chance to reflect on the significance of writing in the study of names and provide a platform to discuss approaches from different fields. Among the many themes to be addressed at this event are the graphemes of names; names an orthography; written names in language contact; written names in the public sphere. The deadline for 300 word (excluding references) abstract submissions is February 20, 2018.
The conference is arranged by the Department of Languages and Literatures, Gothenburg University, and Institute for Language and Folklore, Gothenburg. Venue: Olof Wijksgatan 6, Gothenburg (“Gamla hovrätten”).
Call for Nominations for the 2017 Name of the Year
The American Name Society requests nominations for the “Names of the Year for 2017”. The names selected will be ones that best illustrates, through their creation and/or use during the past 12 months, important trends in the culture of the United States and Canada.
Nominations are called for in the four following categories:
Personal Names: Names or nicknames of individual real people, animals, or hurricanes.
Place Names: Names or nicknames of any real geographical location, including all natural features, political subdivisions, streets, and buildings. Names of national or ethnic groups would be included here.
Trade Names: Names of real commercial products, as well as names of both for-profit and non-profit companies and organizations, including businesses, universities, and political parties.
Fictional/Literary Names: Names of fictional persons, places, or institutions, in any written, oral, or visual medium, as well as titles of art works, books, plays, television programs, or movies.
Winners will be chosen in each category, and then a final vote will determine the overall Name of the Year for 2017. Anyone may nominate a name. All members of the American Name Society attending the annual meeting will select the winner from among the nominees at the annual ANS meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah on January 5, 2018. The winner will be announced that evening at a joint celebration with the American Dialect Society.
Advance nominations must be received before January 2, 2018. Nominations will also be accepted from the floor at the annual meeting. Please send your nominations, along with a brief rationale, to Dr. Cleveland K. Evans at cevans[@]bellevue.edu.
Call for Papers: “Languages Memory”, Language Acts and Worldmaking, London, UK, June 13-14 2018
The first conference by Language Acts and Worldmaking will be held at Bush House, London from the 13th to the 14th of June 2018. This conference, called “Languages Memory”, will be devoted to exploring the ways in which languages are experienced, taught, and researched. The call for papers is now open and can be found here. The deadline for the call for papers is 15 December 2017.
Here are some key themes and ideas for proposals:
- Worldmaking and languages
- History, legacy and future of UK, EU and international languages policies and comparative perspectives
- Language ideologies and pedagogies
- Languages in moments of crisis
- New ecologies of memory
- Digital methods and memory practices in relation to Modern Languages
- Technologies of language learning across time
- Languages and coloniality; the postcolonial and the transnational
- Languages and the archive; mnemonics and memory palaces
- Lost languages, linguicide, and future languages
- Remembering language as play
- Diasporic communities and language memory
How Do Baby Names Become Popular? Featuring Cleve Evans
The ANS’ own Cleve Evans, a recognized expert in baby names, is featured in an online article called “How Do Baby Names Become Popular?” in Romper magazine.
He explains that naming trends in the U.S. are driven by the desire of most parents to choose a name that’s “different, but not too different.” Parents achieve this, consciously or not, by slightly shifting the sounds of names that were popular a decade ago. The impact, while subtle, is absolutely visible in the yearly baby name round-up.
Read on to get the rest of the story!