The 28th FEL conference is organized by Allama Iqbal Open University Islamabad (AIOU), the Forum for Language Initiatives (FLI) and the Foundation of Endangered Languages (FEL).

• AIOU website: https://www.aiou.edu.pk/
• FLI website: http://fli-online.org/
• FEL website: https://www.ogmios.org/

Submission Guidelines

All abstracts must be original and not simultaneously submitted to another journal or conference.

Abstracts should have a length of 600-800 words, and can only be submitted via EasyChair at https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=felxxviii2024. Abstracts sent by email will not be reviewed.

Submission deadline is 15 May 2024 at 23:59 GMT

Abstracts should be in English and must be submitted as PDF files (filename ending in .pdf). Please note that abstracts cannot be submitted as Microsoft Word documents (name ending in .docx or .doc).

Authors whose abstracts are accepted will be notified by 21 June 2024 and will be required to submit a conference paper of 2000-3000 words on or before 31 July 2024. 

The conference paper should provide a brief account of the context, the issue(s) studied, the methodology used, and relevant references, together with a mention of any major result(s), conclusions and implications.

The conference papers will be compiled as a conference book which will be made available to conference participants and members of the Foundation for Endangered Languages.

Selected papers from the conference will be published as part of FEL-Brill Endangered Languages Series by the leading international publisher Brill.

Conference themes

The main theme of FELXXVIII is: Endangered languages and Oral Traditions

Oral traditions and expressions are very significant aspects of intangible linguistic and cultural heritage. They are the collective memory of a community. They also play a crucial role in keeping languages and cultures alive.

Oral traditions and expressions come in a huge variety of spoken forms: folk songs, stories, riddles, tales, legends, myths, poems, epics, chants, charms, romances and other types of folk literature and dramatic performances. Certain types of oral traditions are highly specialized occupations, but they are commonly performed by lay members of the community who transmit their skills, the communal knowledge, and artistic values from generation to generation. Oral traditions are, however, highly fragile and their viability rests chiefly on this transmission.

Languages live and prosper in oral traditions - folk songs and stories - and other forms of intangible cultural heritage. The protection and preservation of indigenous languages are, therefore, closely related to the transmission of oral traditions and expressions. When languages are threatened and become extinct, oral traditions and expressions are also permanently lost. Documenting and safeguarding oral traditions are, therefore, significant ways of protecting and preserving languages; they are important complements to such activities as writing dictionaries and creating grammars and databases.

Recent research trends in documentary and descriptive linguistics have underscored the value of oral traditions and expressions and they encourage the use of methodologies which include recording, transcribing and translating oral traditions and expressions. This is compounded by an increasing global awareness of the alarming number of languages which continue to disappear, together with their oral literature and cultural lore, and the threat that their extinction may entail for the future of humankind.

The 28th conference of the Foundation of Endangered Languages (FELXXVIII) will provide a forum for the examination of the intricate relationship between endangered languages and oral traditions and expressions. The Conference will encourage scholarship on the role that vivid oral traditions/expressions may play in the preservation and revitalization of endangered languages and, similarly, on the impact that language revitalization may have on the maintenance, development and flourishing of oral traditions.

The conference will explore sustainable ways of preserving and protecting oral traditions and expressions and ensuring their transmissions to future generations.

Subthemes and major subtopics include but are not limited to:

• Endangered oral literatures: heritage preservation (music, poetry, mushaira, contests…)
• Oral cultures and traditional knowledge
• Documentation and digitalization of oral art and literature
• Language policy, planning, and oral art
• Oral art and mother tongue education
• Mother-tongue education policies: oral art and literature
• Rediscovering oral traditions and expressions
• Oral Traditions as vehicle for transmission of culture and language

The main focus of the conference will be on the dynamic relationship between language endangerment and the role of oral traditions and expressions in safeguarding them. While it has a universal scope, it specifically aims to highlight interesting and creative oral traditions and expressions of the indigenous communities of Pakistan and encourage scholarship and accounts of community initiatives for preserving and promoting them. Studies highlighting the oral traditions of indigenous communities from anywhere are welcome.

Committees

Conference Chairs

• Mujahid Torwali (FEL, Mujahid.Torwali@sydney.edu.au)
• Muhamad Kamal Khan (AIOU, kamal.khan@aiou.edu.pk)

Organizing committee

Venue

• Main Academic Complex
• Allama Iqbal Open University
• Sector H – 8/ 2
• Islamabad, Pakistan

Contact

All questions about submissions should be emailed to felconf2024.islamabad@gmail.com