Dear members of LAGB

A quick reminder about the iMean5 conference, 6 - 8 April 2017.

This conference has been awarded an LAGB conference support grant, for which we are very grateful.

LAST CALL for Papers (by 5 January)

 Invited plenary speakers (confirmed):

• Gisle Andersen, University of Bergen
• Christine Béal, Université Paul Valéry Montpellier 3
• Jenny Cheshire, Queen Mary, University of London
• Michael Haugh, University of Queensland
• Barbara Johnstone, Carnegie Mellon University
• Zuraidah Mohd Don, University of Malaya

Papers are invited for the iMean5 conference to be held at the University of the West of England, Bristol, 6- 8 April 2017.

 The fifth iMean conference maintains its traditional focus on meaning in social interaction, with a thematic orientation to Language and Change.

 We will be considering changes at the linguistic level but also how changes at a societal level affect language use and our conceptions and analysis of it. Our increasingly interconnected and fast-moving world has led to an upsurge in mobility and to the possibility of greater variation, language contact and change. The linguistically diverse nature of contemporary societies has implications for social justice, with potentially differential access to the public sphere. Different contexts of use and new media may also bring new styles and manners of expression. As society changes, so must our conceptual and epistemological models and old questions and concepts require new approaches and angles.  

 The conference welcomes papers which focus on Language and Change, on norms and/or shifts in language usage and, more generally, on theoretical and methodological developments in research on sociopragmatics.

 iMean5 aims to  take a critical approach to current conceptions of ‘language and change’, focused around (but not restricted to) the following themes:

• The impact of globalisation, population mobility and the growth of cities on language use

• How identities are constructed and negotiated through language in the 21st. century

• Norms and variations in im/polite language behaviour

• Language change at different levels of linguistic analysis

• New media and language use
  

In line with the iMean tradition, the conference aims to encourage multidisciplinary thinking and to create new pathways in linguistic research.

The conference will, as usual, include two specialist Colloquia, an Atelier AFLS and a summative Round Table at which the keynote speakers are invited to debate the conference theme.

 Invited Colloquia

iMean 5 will host two invited colloquia.

1. Language migration and change
   Convened by Jo Angouri

2. “Just how sorry are you, mate?” Norms and Variations in im/polite language behaviour. Convened by Kate Beeching and James Murphy
   

Atelier AFLS

Participants who would like to present in French or present specifically French data are invited to join the Atelier AFLS which will take place as part of the conference.

 Round table: What’s new in Language and Change?

 Submission Details:

 Panel Proposals:

Panel proposals are invited by 1 December 2016. Decisions about panels will be made by 15 December. Panel organisers should oversee abstracts from panel members, with up to 6 papers in a panel (2 X 90 minute slots). Individual panel members should submit abstracts, clearly marked with Panel names, to the main conference email address by 5 January 2017 as below. All abstracts (in panels and the main conference) will be subject to double blind review as always. For information on panel proposals please contact the organisers (J.Angouri@warwick.ac.uk and Kate.Beeching@uwe.ac.uk).

 Individual Papers:

Abstracts of no more than 350 words (max and including references, if absolutely necessary) are invited. They should be submitted to https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=imean2017.

The deadline for receipt of abstracts is 5 January 2017. Abstracts should not include the name and affiliation of the author(s). If your submission is part of a Panel, or the Atelier AFLS, or you would like to propose your paper as part of one of the Colloquia, please state this clearly at the top of your submission.

 Further details are to be found on the iMean website. Go to:http://www1.uwe.ac.uk/cahe/research/bristolcentreforlinguistics/i-mean.aspx

 In the meantime, don’t hesitate to contact Kate.Beeching@uwe.ac.uk orJ.Angouri@warwick.ac.uk for further information.

 I look forward to seeing you at the conference. With a star-studded cast of plenary speakers, it is looking very exciting indeed.

All best wishes,

Kate Beeching.