Conferences
SALALS Conference 2024
Date: 25 – 27 June 2024
The annual conference of the Southern African Linguistics and Applied Linguistics Society (SALALS) will be hosted by the University of Johannesburg’s Department of Languages, Cultural Studies and Applied Linguistics from 25 to 27 June 2024.
Theme: Navigating and Embracing Language, Linguistics, and Technology – Future Directions in the Era of Digital Humanities and the Fourth and Fifth Industrial Revolutions (4IR / 5IR)
Please visit the conference website for more information and abstract submission guidelines: https://salalsconference2024.com/
Past conferences
SALALS 2023 Conference
Date: 3 – 6 July 2023
The annual conference of the Southern African Linguistics and Applied Linguistics Society (SALALS) will be hosted by Walter Sisulu University, Department of Arts on its Mthatha Campus. The Department of Arts is proud to play host to this conference here in the Eastern Cape.
The conference will be face-to-face in the post pandemic era, with the theme: “Standardizations, descriptions, and delimitations of Southern African languages: past, present and future”.
Webpage: https://salals.org.za/conferences/salals-conference-2023
SALALS 2022 Conference
Date: 27 – 30 June 2022
The annual conference of the Southern African Linguistics and Applied Linguistics Society (SALALS) will be hosted in Potchefstroom by the North-West University’s School of Languages from 27 to 30 June 2022. This will be an in-person conference. Come and join us for four days of stimulating debate and discussion – we look forward to seeing you in Potchefstroom!
Webpage: https://salals.org.za/conferences/salals-conference-2022/
SALALS virtual conference 2021
Date: 21 – 23 September 2021
The annual conference of the Southern African Linguistics and Applied Linguistics Society (SALALS), with participation by the South African Association of Language Teachers (SAALT), will be hosted virtually in 2021 by the Department of General Linguistics at Stellenbosch University with support from the South African Centre for Digital Language Resources (SADiLaR).
The Department of General Linguistics is honoured to be the host organiser this year as it is the 50+ anniversary celebration of the founding of the department – the Department opened its doors in 1970 and has overseen the linguistic education of many undergraduate and postgraduate students, as well as producing innovative research over the last 50 years.
Webpage: https://salals.org.za/conferences/salals-virtual-conference-2021/
SALALS & SAALT joint conference 2020
- Due to the COV19 pandemic the local organising committee (in consultation with the two societies) has decided to cancel the joint SALALS/SAALT …Read More »
- The organising committee has decided to postpone the SALALS/SAALT 2020 Conference that was to be hosted in June/July this year. Due to …Read More »
The call for papers is out! The Linguistics discipline in the School of Arts at the University of KwaZulu-Natal is proud to …Read More »- SAVE THE DATES 29 June – 1 July 2020 Linguistics at UKZN is excited to announce that we will be hosting the …Read More »
SAALT and SALALS Joint Annual Language Conference 2019 – Pretoria
Date: 30 June – 4 July 2019
Theme: Indigenous languages in contemporary African society
The intellectual theme was chosen in recognition of the fact that 2019 is the United Nations’ International Year of Indigenous Languages. Our vision is that through engagement with each other at this conference, we can play a role in the advancement of knowledge in indigenous languages while providing a platform to promote collaboration between institutions and various relevant linguistic academic disciplines.
Website: https://ssalc2019.com
International Congress of Linguists 20 (ICL20) 2018 – Cape Town
Date: 2 – 6 July 2018
Theme: The congress, held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, is hosted by CIPL (Comité International Permanent des Linguistes), the LSSA (Linguistics Society of Southern Africa) and UCT (the University of Cape Town), together with partners, the Southern African Applied Linguistics Association (SAALA), the African Languages Association of Southern Africa (ALASA) and theSouth African Association for Language Teaching (SAALT).
The Congress is held every five years, and is meant to showcase current developments in Linguistics. The Congress will run over five days, have a plenary panel on linguistics in South Africa, nine plenary speakers covering a range of major sub-fields, 10 paper sessions each with its own focus speaker, up to 30 workshops, and several poster sessions. While speakers and topics are drawn from a wide international pool, ICL 20 will take the additional opportunity of showcasing African language research. It will also cover applied linguistic areas of research of vital importance to the African continent and the 21st century at large, with a special extended session on Multilingualism, Education, Policy and Development.
Website: http://icl20capetown.com
Conference of the Language Associations of Southern Africa (CLASA) 2017 – Rhodes University, Grahamstown
Theme: Multilingualism and Transformation in the Knowledge Age
The Conference of the Language Associations of Southern Africa (CLASA) is a joint conference comprising 5 associations including ALASA (African Languages Association of Southern Africa), AFRILEX (African Association for Lexicography, SAALA (Southern African Applied Linguistics Association) , SAALT (South African Association for Language Teaching), and LSSA (Linguistics Society of Southern Africa).
Keynote Speakers:
- Prof Anna De Fina
- Prof Tinatin Margalitadze
- Prof John Read
- Prof Laura Downing
- Prof Stanley Dubinsky
Website: http://clasa2017.co.za/
Joint LSSA, SAALA and SAALT Conference 2016 – University of the Western Cape
Theme: Language and Linguistics in the Global South: Posing the challenge
Within the current context of demands for radical changes to academic content and access at our universities, it seems particularly pertinent to encourage delegates to respond in their abstract submissions to issues of decoloniality and southern theory in linguistic research and teaching. However, any interesting papers, workshops, special thematic session and poster presentation in the following fields are welcome: Applied Linguistics; Language Practice; Language Teaching; Linguistics; Sign Language; Sociolinguistics; Multilingualism; Discourse Analysis; Linguistic Landscapes
Keynote Speakers:
- Prof Ana Deumert
- Prof Kathleen Heugh
- Prof Bassey Antia
- Prof Perpetua Goncalves
Website: http://www.lssa-saala-saalt.co.za/
Joint LSSA, SAALA and SAALT Conference 2015 – North-West University, Potchefstroom
Theme: Papers, workshops, special thematic sessions and poster presentations in the following fields are welcome: Applied Linguistics; Language Practice; Language Teaching; Linguistics; Sign Language
Website: http://www.nwu.ac.za/joint-conference-languages-2015
Joint LSSA, SAALA and SAALT Conference 2014 – University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg
Theme: Synergies and Intersections
The 2014 conference focuses on the interdisciplinary nature of linguistics in the field of language competence and use. This meeting aims to showcase the current diversity of the field of linguistics and the blurring of the boundaries between linguistics and other domains of study concerned with the structure, function and value of language.
Joint LSSA, SAALA and SAALT Conference 2013 – Stellenbosch University
Date: 1-4 July 2013
Theme: Language: policy, planning, practice and principles
The theme of the conference highlights a contemporary global issue. Since the protection of cultural and linguistic diversity is of major concern, especially within an educational environment, the emphasis of this conference is on:
(i) the development and management of language policies;
(ii) the language planning necessary for the implementation of language policies;
(iii) the selection of the language support initiatives required in a multilingual environment, as well as the language practices employed by communities in order to exercise their language rights and their citizenship through language; and
(iv) an understanding of the theoretical principles that underlie language.
Keynote Speakers:
- Prof Felix Banda
- Prof Catherine Elder
- Dr Johan Oosthuizen
- Prof Christina Schäffner
- Prof Albert Weideman
Joint LSSA, SAALA and SAALT Conference 2012 – University of the Free State, Bloemfontein
Date: 25-29 June 2012
Theme: Diversity and complexity
This theme reflects the multidisciplinary nature of this joint conference, which is focused on bringing together theoretical linguists, sociolinguists, applied linguists and language teachers. The international conference – the Second International Conference on English Pronunciation: Issues and Practices (EPIP 2) – has a similar multidisciplinary focus i.e. bringing together researchers and teachers of English, phonetics, phonology and EFL/ESL/EAP interested in the issues surrounding English pronunciation, both native and non-native. The theme also applies to interfaces and interactions between different theories, different conceptions of language, different languages and, indeed, the interactions between people, and encapsulates the potential synergies of such meetings.
Keynote Speakers:
- Marjolijn Verspoor (University of Groningen, the Netherlands)
- Kees de Bot (University of Groningen, the Netherlands)
- Zubeida Desai (University of the Western Cape, South Africa)
- Johann van der Walt (North-West University, South Africa)
Joint LSSA, SAALA and SAALT Conference 2012 – University of the Free State, Bloemfontein
Date: 25-29 June 2012
Theme: Diversity and complexity
This theme reflects the multidisciplinary nature of this joint conference, which is focused on bringing together theoretical linguists, sociolinguists, applied linguists and language teachers. The international conference – the Second International Conference on English Pronunciation: Issues and Practices (EPIP 2) – has a similar multidisciplinary focus i.e. bringing together researchers and teachers of English, phonetics, phonology and EFL/ESL/EAP interested in the issues surrounding English pronunciation, both native and non-native. The theme also applies to interfaces and interactions between different theories, different conceptions of language, different languages and, indeed, the interactions between people, and encapsulates the potential synergies of such meetings.
Keynote Speakers:
- Marjolijn Verspoor (University of Groningen, the Netherlands)
- Kees de Bot (University of Groningen, the Netherlands)
- Zubeida Desai (University of the Western Cape, South Africa)
- Johann van der Walt (North-West University, South Africa)
Joint LSSA, SAALA and SAALT Conference 2012 – University of the Free State, Bloemfontein
Date: 25-29 June 2012
Theme: Diversity and complexity
The 2012 conference aims to create a forum for research that not only celebrates the rich diversity of languages in South Africa, but also acknowledges the complexity of lingual phenomena, as well as the wide spectrum of theoretical and applied perspectives which reflect this complexity in the solutions and frameworks they propose.
Keynote Speakers:
- Marjolijn Verspoor (University of Groningen, the Netherlands)
- Kees de Bot (University of Groningen, the Netherlands)
- Zubeida Desai (University of the Western Cape, South Africa)
- Johann van der Walt (North-West University, South Africa)
Joint LSSA, SAALA, SAALT and EPIP Conference 2011 – Rhodes University, Grahamstown
Date: 26-29 June 2011
Theme: Interactions and Interfaces
This theme reflects the multidisciplinary nature of this joint conference, which is focused on bringing together theoretical linguists, sociolinguists, applied linguists and language teachers. The international conference – the Second International Conference on English Pronunciation: Issues and Practices (EPIP 2) – has a similar multidisciplinary focus i.e. bringing together researchers and teachers of English, phonetics, phonology and EFL/ESL/EAP interested in the issues surrounding English pronunciation, both native and non-native. The theme also applies to interfaces and interactions between different theories, different conceptions of language, different languages and, indeed, the interactions between people, and encapsulates the potential synergies of such meetings.
Keynote Speakers:
- Gary Barkhuizen (Auckland University, New Zealand)
- Tracey Derwing (University of Alberta, Canada)
- Paul Foulkes (University of York, United Kingdom)
- Pieter Muysken (Radboud University, Nijmegen, Netherlands)
LSSA Conference 2010 – UNISA, Pretoria
Date: 26-29 September 2010
Theme: Languages change
– Languages change in terms of their structure, as well as in terms of their spread and usage patterns in communities.
– Languages change individuals and communities through their linguistic and cognitive development, through learning and education, as well as through language planning and development.
– Languages change relationships between individuals and communities in multilingual settings and through language use and intercultural interaction.