2nd International UCM Predoctoral Conference on English Linguistics (UPCEL): Language in Society

The organising committee of the 2nd International UCM Predoctoral Conference on English Linguistics (UPCEL) are pleased to invite predoctoral students in English Linguistics programmes, including both PhD and Master's degree students, to participate in our second instantiation, which will be held on September 20, 21 and 22, 2017 at the Facultad de Filología, Universidad Complutense de Madrid. This conference is organised by the PhD Programme in English Linguistics of UCM, which has consistently maintained an Excellence Distinction by the Spanish Ministry of Education since 2004.

This conference intends to involve people from different fields who wish to share a common purpose and create an interdisciplinary space of solidarity and community; its objective is not only to show the crucial role of language in society, but also to be a meeting point where people working in diverse areas can collaborate.

Therefore, this year’s edition will serve as a forum for sharing and discussing topics related to English linguistics, especially (although not exclusively) welcoming contributions addressing social aspects and issues and how linguistics intertwines with them.

The motto for this second edition is (English) Language in Society. Three are the main objectives of this conference:
. a) To organise a discussion forum around academic issues to which we are directly related. Thus, this conference will welcome proposals with a THEORETICAL, METHODOLOGICAL and/or COMPARATIVE motivation, especially those linked with research that is being carried out from a plethora of linguistic disciplines such as Critical Discourse Analysis, Language teaching, Translation, Language and History, Language variation, Sociolinguistics, Language and Identity, Language policies, Pragmatics, Language typology, Language and Literature, Language and Gender, Language and minority groups, Psycholinguistics, Linguistic Anthropology, Language, culture and cognition, Sign language, Language and Arts, Politics, Exact Sciences, Advertising, Language and Social Networks, Global languages, etc. In sum, ENGLISH AS A SOCIAL PRACTICE and IN SOCIAL PRACTICE. 

. b) Nevertheless, another important objective of ours is to make sure this conference becomes a platform for cross-sector cooperation, solidarity and participation. We want to convey a clear message in an innovative way: Our PhD programme not only focuses on RESEARCH in ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND SOCIETY but it also aims at becoming an ENGLISH LANGUAGE INSTITUTION to our society. Therefore, this conference is set to be not only a discussion forum, but also an event, a social activity which encourages the participation and contribution of people who have scarcely been given the spotlight at such events. Giving the floor to these collectives will foster our basic principles and contribute to strengthening social fabric. Thus, 

• We have reached an agreement with the School of Fine Arts/ Escuela de Bellas Artes, whose students will design the conference logo and posters. They will also participate in the conference, using their own language. In other words, we will witness the painting of a mural, which will be kept for the enjoyment of the Faculty of Philology. 

• Although we are still to finalise some details, we will also have the participation of students from the Faculty of Tourism/ Facultad de Turismo, who will share their knowledge and vision of Madrid with participants. 

• We are working alongside the office in charge of the insertion of persons with functional diversity (OIPD) to integrate a large group of people with special needs amongst our collaborators. 

• We are promoting shorter phased projects in collaboration with Pedagogy students, professional sign language interpreters, etc.
c) The third objective builds on the previous one. A number of young researchers can contribute to the topic English language and society from diverse approaches: both less conventional and more committed ones, applied or peripheral to the field of linguistic research. A specific panel (From a different angle) will be exclusively reserved for them. Our conference hence aims to excite interest in a wide range of Master’s and PhD programmes.
Bearing in mind the objectives described above, we will make English Linguistics an interdisciplinary meeting point for at least three days. To do so, it will be indispensable to keep an open mind and count on the collaboration of everyone involved.
We strongly encourage you to disseminate this project; encourage your students personally to take part in the event submitting posters or talks, or simply as attendees. To the extent possible, contact your colleagues in other Spanish institutions individually to ask them to encourage their own students to take part as well.

Researchers interested in taking part in this conference are encouraged to submit their proposal on the following topics:

Language in Society
- Bilingualism/CLIL
- (Critical) Discourse Analysis
- Cognitive Linguistics
- Functional Linguistics
- Sociolinguistics
- Pragmatics
- Applied Linguistics
- Historical Linguistics
- Cultural Studies
- Corpus and Computational Linguistics
- Translation and Contrastive Linguistics
- Lexicography/Phraseology

CONFIRMED PLENARY SPEAKERS
Dr. Yolanda Joy Calvo Benzies (Universidad de las Islas Baleares)
Dr. Antonio García Gómez (Universidad de Alcalá de Henares)
Dr. Marco Tamburelli (Bangor University)

ABSTRACT SUBMISSION
We invite researchers to submit proposals based on their own work in one of the following formats:

• Paper presentations: papers will be presented in 20-minute slots, followed by ten-minute discussion turns.
• Posters: posters will be at display in key areas at the conference venue.

• Please note that English is the language we will be using all throughout the conference

All abstracts must be submitted online before April 12, 2017 via EasyChair: https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=upcel2017

Those who do not have an EasyChair account will need to create one.

The word limit for the submitted abstracts is 500 words, including references.

ASSESSMENT OF PROPOSALS
Each contribution will be anonymously reviewed and assessed by two members of the organising committee. The abstracts should clearly indicate:
• the research question addressed by the investigation
• the methods and materials used
• the state of completion of the research (including, for instance, provisional results).

KEY DATES
• Abstract submission deadline: April 12, 2017 (subject to variation)
• Notification of acceptance: May 17, 2017 (subject to variation)
• Early bird registration: From notification of acceptance to June 15, 2017
• Late registration: June 16 - July 31, 2017
• Conference dates: September 20, 21, 22, 2017

REGISTRATION FEES FOR PARTICIPANTS (*)
The fee includes: registration, conference pack, and coffee breaks.

• Early-bird registration fee – 50€
• Late registration fee – 70€

REGISTRATION FEES FOR ATTENDEES (*)
• Registration fee – 15€
(*) A participation certificate will be issued to all registered participants and attendees.