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The Mid-American Linguistics Conference and the Conference on Siouan and Caddoan Languages will be held on October 18-19, 1992, at the Uni- versity of Missouri-Columbia. Abstracts should be sent to Donald Lance, Linguistics Program, 107 Tate, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211 (FAX 314-882-5785; e-mail engdlMail to author|Respond to list|Read more issues|LINGUIST home page|Top of issueumcvmb.missouri.edu) or Louanna Furbee, Anthropology, 200 Swallow Hall, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211. Abstract deadline: September 1, 1992.
A Workshop at Indiana University, Bloomington _________________________________________________________ EAST EUROPEAN SOCIOLINGUISTICS: HISTORY AND PROSPECTS ________________________________________________________ MARCH 31, 1992, 1-6 P.M. OPTOMETRY BUILDING ROOM 111 (Corner of Atwater and Woodlawn, just south of the main campus) Participants in the workshop will discuss the present and likely future course of sociolinguistic research in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union as a result of ongoing changes in the political and eco- nomic systems of the former Soviet bloc. Sociolinguistics--the study of how speech differences are stratified among classes and ethnic groups in a society--will be used as an example of overall social science research. Most of the conference participants have first-hand knowledge of doing western-style sociolinguistics in former socialist countries, and will discuss the difficulties of developing this highly charged field in those countries, as well as describing how the field managed to take root (where it did) in spite of these difficulties. In addition to these historical questions, participants will consider potential social- policy consequences of sociolinguistic findings in the former socialist countries, including the effect of research on minority languages (e.g., Gypsy in Hungary, Hungarian in Slovakia) on policy decisions regarding language and nationality rights. FORMAT OF THE WORKSHOP: Four countries, the former Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and Poland, will each be treated as a case study of sociolinguistic development. The history and future prospects of the field will be examined by researchers with experience in the country in question. Time will be available for discussion among the panelists and audience following the presentations on each country. We are counting on the participation of faculty and students with interests in the development of this and other fields of inquiry in these countries to make the workshop a success! SPONSORED BY: College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Uralic and Altaic Studies, Office of International Programs, Polish Studies Center, Program in TESOL and Applied Linguistics, Research and the University Graduate School, and Russian and East European Institute, Working Group on Transformation of Communist and Post-Communist Societies of the Cen- ter for Global Change and World Peace. FOR MORE INFORMATION, or if you cannot attend but would like a set of summaries of the presentations, contact Jeffrey Harlig, Department of Uralic and Altaic Studies (tel: (812) 855-2233; e-mail: PRISM::HARLIGJ/ HARLIGJMail to author|Respond to list|Read more issues|LINGUIST home page|Top of issueIUBACS [bitnet]). _________________________________________________________________________ Workshop participants and Coffee Break 3:00-3:15 schedule: CASE 3: HUNGARY 3:15-4:15 INTRODUCTION -- Problems of Miklos Kontra (Linguistics social science in Eastern Europe Institute, Hungarian Academy of 1:00-1:30 Sciences), Csaba Pleh (IU Jeffrey Harlig (IU Bloomington) Bloomington, Eotvos University, Budapest) CASE 1: RUSSIA AND THE FORMER SOVIET UNION 1:30-2:30 CASE 4: POLAND 4:15-5:15 Allen Grimshaw (IU Bloomington), Karol Janicki (Adam Mickiewicz Curt Woolhiser (IU Bloomington) University, Poznan), Dennis Preston (Michigan State University) CASE 2: CZECHOSLOVAKIA 2:30-3:00 Louise Hammer (IU Bloomington) General discussion period 5:15-6:00 __________________________________________________________________________