Foundation for Endangered Languages
VI International Conference
“Endangered Languages and their Literatures: Building a Past for the Future”
Antigua, Guatemala
8-10 August 2002
Call for Abstracts
en español

One of the most powerful functions of a language is that of repository for the culture and worldview of its speakers.  Its grammar and lexicon store the shared experiences of past generations, and a language is the channel by which these images, emotions, knowledge and beliefs are transmitted to the next.  A language does not just transmit messages; it decorates them aesthetically, and so facilitates their reception and retention.

Thus literature, both in spoken and written forms, is a key crossover point between the life of a language and the lives of its speakers.  Literature gives a language prestige; and knowledge of its literature enriches a language's utility for its speakers.  Both act to build the loyalty of speakers to their own language.  All these effects then reinforce one another in a virtuous cycle.

What exactly is the relationship between a minority language facing increased pressure and its literatures? Does the oral and/or written tradition hold a key to the language’s future survival? The sixth international conference of the Foundation for Endangered Languages aims to pinpoint the processes and seek new tactics for looking at literary traditions as a means of promoting the vitality of small languages.

We hope to find answers to many questions, not all of them obvious. For example:

* The (re)writing of our history: How endangered language communities seek to establish a stronger  sense of their past on which to build their future?

* How does the power of language preserve and propagate aspects of cultural tradition and stimulate new departures in keeping with the old?

* Emerging literatures and literacies: What are the pedagogical and linguistic issues involved in EL literary production?

* How does the use of creative-writing workshops, poetry-festivals and literary contests impact language revitalization?

* How do oral literatures and their transmission across generations help revitalize endangered languages or to reverse language-shift?

* Translation issues (from and into EL):  Who is the target audience and what is the target effect?

* What are the symbolic as well as communicative functions of endangered languages in literature?

* How do efforts from within the community to maintain language address its literary tradition?

To seek answers to these and other questions, the Foundation for Endangered Languages hereby calls for papers to be presented at its fifth conference, ‘Endangered Languages and their Literatures’, planned for Antigua, Guatemala, for 8-10 August 2002.

It is no coincidence that we choose this venue for the conference, at the gateway to the densest Mayan population in the world.  Though most are familiar with the marvels of Mayan achievements in pre-Columbian times, focusing on the past leads many to assume that when the great cities of the Classic Period were abandoned the Mayas did not simply return to the surrounding countryside, but disappeared altogether.   Yet it is precisely in this countryside, in thousands of small rural communities that the Mayas and their distinct identity have survived to number over seven million today.  Here they carry out life ways as inscribed on ancient stones: the counting of days on their unique calendar, the daily preparation of sacred corn on the grinding stone, weaving garments of intricate designs at the back strap loom, and the use of their languages.

The Mayas have withstood centuries of hardship, oppression and persecution with their cultures and languages largely intact—a feat no less impressive than the construction of giant pyramids.   However, the forces of globalization—as manifested in national schools, mass media, accelerated migration, and a cash economy—continue to encroach upon and penetrate the Mayan world, endangering their languages as never before.  The signing of Peace Accords in 1996 signaled the close of 35 years of civil war known as la violencia whose impact upon the Mayas was particularly cruel and devastating.

However, in recent years, a growing movement has sprouted from the ashes of la violencia, seeking to recover the Mayas’ rightful place in national life.   This movement has largely shunned frontal assaults on the political system in favor of education and literacy in Mayan languages, and the publication of dictionaries, teaching materials, and diverse forms of Mayan literature.  Mayan organizations are now active in diverse fields, such as health, agriculture, community development, and Mayan religion.  All promote the use of Mayan languages both as a symbol of collective identity and as communicative medium.

Antigua, Spanish colonial capital of Central America, is an architectural gem nestled in the verdant Guatemalan highlands.  Though less than an hour from the bustling capital of Guatemala City, the cobblestone streets and tile roofs of Antigua belong to another, slower age.  Antigua is home to several Mayan language revitalization organizations, and also serves as a gateway to the Mayan towns and villages, as well as the scenic splendors of the Guatemalan highlands. 

We invite contributions not only from the academic disciplines of linguistics and literature/comparative literature, but also from active practitioners in the field with first-hand experience from which we can learn of the worlds threatened languages and their struggle for survival and equal status with those of international communication in the ether and on the printed page. We have much to learn from each other, and we invite you to share your knowledge and experience with us in the beautiful setting of a historic town that has long been a point of contact between diverse cultures and languages. The conference will also provide ample opportunity to explore the surrounding area as well.

The Foundation for Endangered Languages is a registered charity in England and Wales. FEL conferences, besides being opportunities to discuss the issues from a global viewpoint, are working meetings of the Foundation, defining our overall policy for future years. Participants at the conference therefore, unless offering media coverage, need to be members of the Foundation. There are full facilities to join on arrival, but all proposers are strongly urged to join as soon as possible, and so take full part in the Foundation’s activities in the lead-up to the conference.

Presentations will last twenty minutes each, with a further ten minutes for discussion. Authors will be expected to submit a written paper for publication in the Proceedings well in advance of the conference. All presentations should be accessible largely in English, but use of the languages of interest, for quotation or exemplification, may well be appropriate.

Organizers:
McKenna Brown, Virginia Commonwealth University, USA
Gaspar Pedro González, Asociación Cultural B'eyb'al, Guatemala
Karen Johnson-Weiner, SUNY-Potsdam, USAChris Moseley, BBC Monitoring Service

Nicholas Ostler, FEL, Bath, England

Blair Rudes, University of North Carolina-Charlotte, USA

Arnulfo Simón, PRODADE
Mahendra Verma, University of York, England

Abstract Submission
Abstracts should not exceed 500 words. They can be submitted in either of two ways: (preferably) by electronic submission, but also on paper. They should be in English.

A) Electronic submission:
Electronic submission (by 15 Marchl 2002) should be as attachment in Word format in email message to mbrown@saturn.vcu.edu.

B) Paper abstracts:

Three copies should be sent, (again, for delivery by 15 March 2002), to:

R. McKenna Brown, Virginia Commonwealth University, International Studies Program, Box 843080, Richmond, VA 23284-3080 USA (fax +01-804.225.3479)

This should have a clear short title, but should not bear anything to identify the author(s).

On a separate sheet, please include the following information:
NAME : Names of the author(s)
TITLE: Title of the paper
EMAIL: Email address of the first author, if any
ADDR: Postal address of the first author
TEL: Telephone number of the first author, if any
FAX: Fax number of the first author, if any

The name of the first author will be used in all correspondence.

If possible, please also send an e-mail to R. McKenna Brown at mbrown@saturn.vcu.edu informing him of the hard copy submission. This is in case the hard copy does not reach its destination. This e-mail should contain the information specified in the above section.

Important Dates

*Abstract submission deadline March 15

*Committee’s decision April 15

*Authors submit camera-ready text June 3

*Conference August 8-10