Call for Papers
4th International Conference of the American Pragmatics Association (AMPRA)
November 1-3, 2018
University at Albany, State University of New York (USA)
Call for Papers
The goal of this conference is to promote both theoretical and applied research in pragmatics, and to bring together scholars who are interested in different subfields of pragmatics (philosophical, linguistic, cognitive, social, intercultural, interlanguage, etc.). The four main topical strands of the conference are as follows:
(i) Pragmatics theories: neo-Gricean approaches, relevance theory, theory of mind, meaning, role of context, common ground, semantics-pragmatics interface, explicature, implicature, speech act theory, presuppositions, grammaticalization, im/politeness, etc.
(ii) Experimental pragmatics: models of language and meaning, experimental techniques, scalar implicatures, reference resolution, interpretation of figurative language, etc.
(iii) Intercultural, cross-cultural and societal aspects of pragmatics: research involving more than one language and culture, or varieties of one language, intercultural pragmatics, interlanguage pragmatics, variational pragmatics, social pragmatics, lingua franca, computer-mediated communication (CMC), bilinguals’ and heritage speakers’ language use, intercultural misunderstandings, effect of dual language and multilingual systems on the development and use of pragmatic skills, language of aggression and conflict, etc.
(iv) Applications: usage and corpus-based approaches, pragmatic competence, teachability and learnability of pragmatic skills, pragmatic variations within one language and across languages, developmental pragmatics, cyber pragmatics, etc.
Confirmed Keynote Speakers:
Betty Birner (Northern Illinois University, USA)
Ira Noveck (Institut des Sciences Cognitives – Marc Jeannerod, Paris, France)
Jason Stanley (Yale University, USA)
Abstract Submission:
Abstracts must be 250-400 words max. in length (depending on format of presentation, including title, excluding references). Submissions are limited to one individual and one joint abstract per person. Abstracts & proposals for all presentation formats must be submitted through EasyAbstracts (http://linguistlist.org/easyabs/ampra2018).
When submitting the abstract or proposal, please specify your preference of format as well as the strand you would preferably like to be considered for.
Presentation Formats:
1) Panels: Panel organizers are expected to send their proposal (max. 400 words) with a list of possible participants to the conference committee. Panel sessions will be scheduled for no more than two time-slots (2x90 minutes).
2) Roundtables: Roundtable organizers can invite up to six scholars to discuss one or more issues in any subfield of pragmatics. Contributions to the roundtable can be in different formats such as short debate-starters, opinion-summaries, questions, etc.
3) ‘Traditional’ Presentations: Papers submitted for this format must be research papers that present the results of a research project. Accepted papers will get 30 minutes for presentation, including discussion time.
4) Short Presentations: Papers submitted for this format must be statement papers, work-in progress papers or opinion papers. Accepted papers will get 20 minutes for presentation, including discussion time.
5) Poster Presentations: A poster presentation is regarded as an advertisement of an on-going project. It combines text and graphics to present the project in a way that is visually interesting and accessible.
Abstract submission for all formats:
Deadline: February 15, 2018
Notification of Acceptance: March 15, 2018
Conference fee:
Regular registration: $250 (before September 15, 2018)
Early bird registration: $210 (before June 1, 2018)
Students (with valid I.D.): $100
Conference fee covers attendance to all sessions, lunches and coffee/tea breaks during the conference, welcome reception, conference materials and kit.
AMPRA membership:
Prospective participants are not required to be AMPRA members. However, if the abstract is accepted for presentation and the successful submitter wishes to participate at the conference, s/he must be the member of AMPRA. The membership fee is $50 for non-students, and $30 for students. Membership fees can be paid through the AMPRA website: https://americanpragmaticsassociation.org/.
If a participant wishes to attend the conference without giving a paper/poster, it is not necessary for him/her to be(come) an AMPRA member. 3-day guest passes can be purchased through the registration page prior to the conference for $100. This fee covers attendance to all sessions, lunches and coffee/tea breaks during the conference.
The conference dinner fee is an additional $45, payable together with the registration fee.
Organizing Committee:
Monika Kirner-Ludwig (Chair of Organizing Committee, University at Albany, State University of New York, USA)
Alison Olin (Executive Secretary of Organizing Committee, University at Albany, State University of New York, USA)
Anne Bezuidenhout (AMPRA Executive Secretary, University of South Carolina, USA)
Istvan Kecskes (AMPRA President, University at Albany, State University of New York, USA)
Lindy Comstock (Chair of AMPRA Graduate Student Committee, UCLA, USA)
Zhiqi Gong (Doctoral Student, University at Albany, State University of New York, USA)
Email of the chair of the AMPRA4 OC: [email protected]
For more information about the conference, please contact us at [email protected].
You can also visit the AMPRA website https://americanpragmaticsassociation.org/ or our conference website https://www.albany.edu/ampra/.
