Places of Memory, Text and Word. Interdisciplinary Perspectives between Archival Studies, Philology, Linguistics, and Palaeography

Date: 29-Jan-2026 - 30-Jan-2026
Location: Bergamo, Italy

Linguistic Field(s): Cognitive Science; Discipline of Linguistics; Historical Linguistics; Sociolinguistics; Text/Corpus Linguistics

Submission Deadline: 14-Nov-2025

This PhD conference is organized by the PhD program of Philological and Linguistic Studies in Oral and Written Records of the University of Bergamo (IT). The event aims to investigate how “place” can be both materially and conceptually interpreted across archival, linguistic, philological, and palaeographic approaches.

Linguistic topics include:
- Language change and geography, focusing on spatial factors in synchronic and diachronic linguistic variation;
- Space and conceptual metaphors, addressing how embodied experience and spatial cognition shape metaphorical processes;
- Space and linguistic identity, examining the role of diatopic variation and indexicality in constructing social identities;
- Immigrant languages and language policies, analysing how spatial contexts condition language use, inclusion, and representation;
- Linguistic landscape and toponymy, exploring how place names and public signage reveal social and diachronic dynamics;
- Spaces of linguistic research, reflecting on the methodological and ethical implications of conducting research in specific physical or virtual settings.