Interactions between indigenous and migrant minority languages in changing multilingual environments

Keynote speakers

• Stephen May, School of Critical Studies in Education, University of Auckland (New Zealand)
• Guus Extra, Chair of Language and Minorities, Tilburg University (Netherlands)
• Melissa G. Moyer, Departament de Filologia Anglesa, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (Catalonia)

Theme

Minority languages, by their very nature, exist in multilingual environments.  But far-reaching developments in globalisation and migration mean these multilingual environments are currently undergoing dramatic changes.  Across Europe and around the world, traditional forms of multilingualism are giving way to new and more complex forms, in which speakers of indigenous minority languages must negotiate their place alongside newer migrant minority languages, in addition to other more established majority languages.

In such contexts, several issues are raised, including:

• How do speakers of indigenous minority languages construct their position in relation to speakers of both ‘old’ majority languages and ‘new’ minority languages?
• How do indigenous minority language speakers view migrant minority languages? Are these languages seen in terms of threat/competition, or as facilitating acceptance of a wider range of languages within a multilingual society?
• What three-way relationships exist between the indigenous minority language(s), the majority language(s), and the new migrant language(s)?
• What scope is there for indigenous minority languages to gain prominence in a changing multilingual environment?
• What can speakers of indigenous and migrant languages learn from each other’s minority language experiences?
• What even counts as a minority language in these increasingly complex multilingual environments?

With these issues in mind, this conference addresses the overall question of:

What challenges and possibilities do changing forms of multilingualism pose for speakers of indigenous and migrant minority languages, and what opportunities are presented by interactions between the two?

The conference welcomes data-driven papers focusing on interactions between indigenous and migrant minority languages in Europe and around the world, in fields including but not limited to:

• Language policy
• Language ideologies/discourses about minority languages
• Linguistic landscapes
• Advertising
• The new media
• The workplace
• Health communication
• Education
• Literature and the arts

For inclusion in the conference, papers must directly address the following areas:

• How an existing multilingual environment is changing in response to current demographic developments
• What interactions are occurring between speakers of indigenous and migrant minority languages in this changing multilingual context
• What challenges and/or opportunities these interactions present for speakers of indigenous and migrant minority languages.

Terms such as minority/majority languages and indigenous/migrant languages are (increasingly) problematic, and conference participants are encouraged to critically engage with these terms in their presentations.

The conference will take place in multilingual Luxembourg, a traditionally trilingual and increasingly multilingual country that is a prime example of the changing forms of multilingualism that are the subject of the conference.

Abstract submission

Abstracts should:

• be sent to Julia de Bres (julia.debres@uni.lu) by 30 November 2012.
• be no more than 500 words in length
• include the author’s title, name and affiliation
• directly address the conference theme
• indicate whether they are intended to be considered for a paper presentation (20 minutes plus questions) or a poster session.

Submitters will be notified of the outcome of their submission in January 2013.

Language

The language of the conference is English.  As this is a conference about multilingualism, however, presenters are encouraged to make use of other languages in their presentations (e.g. powerpoint slides in another language, etc).

Registration

Registration will be available in early 2013.  Fees for registration have not yet been confirmed but there is likely to be no registration fee.

Conference venue

The conference will take place in Luxembourg city, at the salle Tavenas, adjacent to the Limpertsberg campus of the University of Luxembourg (102 avenue Pasteur, see map here).  This is in a residential area 10 minutes by bus from the central city.

Getting to Luxembourg

Luxembourg city is accessible by air, train and car.

• Air: Luxembourg’s airport (Findel) is a fifteen minute bus ride from the central city.  You will often need to transit through another European airport in order to fly to this airport, and flight costs can be expensive.  You can find cheaper options by flying into low cost airports nearby, including Frankfurt Hahn in Germany and Charleroi in Belgium, and then catch a bus of a couple of hours to Luxembourg.
• Train: Luxembourg’s central station (gare centrale) has good connections to other European cities.
• Car: Luxembourg is connected to the rest of Europe by a network of highways. The capital city of Luxembourg is directly linked to the highways A1, A13, A3, A4, A6, A7 and is close to several cities in France (Metz: 60 km, Strasbourg: 222 km, Paris: 370 km), Germany (Trier: 48 km, Saarbrücken: 100 km, Cologne: 197 km, Frankfurt: 275 km) and Belgium (Brussels: 225 km, Liège: 168 km, Antwerp: 254 km)

Accommodation

Luxembourg city has many hotels, being a capital with several EU institutions.  Hotel accommodation is however quite expensive, and you can expect to pay upwards of 100 euros per night.  Hotels recommended by the conference team include:

• Hotel Simoncini: http://www.hotelsimoncini.lu/
• Hotel Melia : http://www.melia-luxembourg.com/en/melia-luxembourg-el-hotel.html
• Hotel Park Inn Express: http://www.parkinn.com/hotel-luxembourg
• Mercure Grand Hotel Alfa: http://www.mercure.com/gb/hotel-2058-mercure-grand-hotel-alfa-luxembourg/index.shtml

Closer to the time of the conference, we will attempt to negotiate a special rate for the conference at one or more of these hotels.

You can also look for regular specials on the hotel websites www.hrs.de, www.kayak.com and www.booking.com

A more affordable option that we recommend is the high quality youth hostel in the central city, located in a spectacular valley right next to the UNESCO world heritage site of the former city fortress.

Sightseeing

Luxembourg city is a historic city set in a beautiful valley, with many tourist attractions, including palaces, castles, parks and museums (see city tourism website)

As well as the city itself, the small size of the country means you can easily visit other parts of the country.  For example, the north of the country has a beautiful national park, castles and picturesque villages, and the Moselle region has winding roads and wineries alongside the Moselle river.

You can also take the opportunity to visit nearby cities in the neighbouring regions of Belgium, Germany and France (the so-called Greater Region).