The goals of the conference are to encourage the study of Slavic languages and literatures and to establish connections among (young) scholars working in these areas. There will be two parallel colloquia, one focusing on literature, the other reserved for linguistics. The linguistics colloquium will have the honour to host the 2004 Slavic Cognitive Linguistics Conference (SCLA). This way we can bring together cognitive linguists and linguists working in other frameworks, and offer a forum for collaboration and discussion on current developments in Slavic Linguistics. A selection of the papers from both the linguistics and literatures conferences will be published as special volumes of the Belgian journal for Slavicists Slavica Gandensia. Confirmed keynote speakers include Tore Nesset from Tromso University in Norway, Elzbieta Tabakowska and Aleksander Fiut from the Jagiellonian University in Krak?w, Laura Janda from the University of North Carolina at Chapell Hill and Elwira Grossman from the University of Glasgow. David Danaher from the University of Wisconsin-Madison has been asked to provide a lecture that links the linguistics and the literature sections.

Submissions from any (young) scholar working on Slavic languages or literatures are welcomed, including those in Slavic departments, as well as in specialized linguistics or literature departments. Papers and posters will be considered on topics relating to the diachronic or synchronic study of Slavic languages and literatures from any theoretical perspective. Each paper will be allowed thirty minutes (including 10 minutes for discussion).

The deadline for submissions is March 15 2004. All submissions should follow the abstract specifications (see below).

Presentations and posters should be in English in order to open the conference up to researchers working on non-Slavic languages and literatures. We strongly encourage the use of modern presentation software, e.g. Powerpoint. The goal of this is to enhance the effectiveness of the presentation and to facilitate discussion afterwards. Laptops and beamers will be provided.

The participation fee will be 50 euros (25 for graduate students and passive participants), to be paid in advance. Detailed information on payment options & deadlines and hotel accommodation will be provided by April 2004 .

The participation fee covers the abstract booklet, other conference materials, refreshments and snacks. A limited number of participants from economically disadvantaged countries may be allowed free participation upon application. Please include a motivated application for free participation when sending in your abstract. In assigning waivers priority will be given to graduate students and non-tenured scholars.

For details or questions concerning the linguistics section, please contact Dagmar Divjak ([email protected]). If your questions relate to the literature session, contact Kris Van Heuckelom ([email protected]).

http://millennium.arts.kuleuven.ac.be/slavic/conference

Abstract Specifications

Please submit a one-page abstract (max. 500 words) in English, with an additional page for tables, graphs and references, if necessary. Note that footnotes are not permitted. Make sure to use the international transcription in case you work on languages with a Cyrillic alphabet. Gloss
and translate all examples. An abstract should briefly present a hypothesis and outline the author's plan for defending that hypothesis, i.e. it should specify research question(s), an approach/method to the data, and (expected) results. The abstract should be anonymous: each proposal will be reviewed by three members of an international panel.

We strongly encourage electronic submissions. The body of your email message should contain the following information:

- author name(s)

- affiliation(s)

- full mailing address

- telephone number

- fax number

- email address

- title of the presentation

- (three or four) keywords

- presenter(s) name (person/s who will be making the presentation)

Please, send title and abstract in an attached file (MS Word). Submit your
linguistics proposal to [email protected] and your literature abstract to [email protected] by March 15th.

Should you be unable to submit your abstract electronically, send 3 anonymous copies of your abstract, accompanied by 1 copy with the rest of the information (name, affiliation, address, etc.) to the following address:

Perspectives on Slavistics

Katholieke Universiteit Leuven

Department of Slavic and Oriental Studies

Blijde Inkomststraat 21

3000 Leuven Belgium

Fax: +32 (16) 324932

Only those proposals following the abstract specifications will be considered. Notifications of the Organizing Committee's decisions will be sent out by May 31st, 2004