Mind your language! How do communities communicate?
Languages are in the spotlight in Europe in 2004 now enlargement has brought an extra 15 member countries to the EU.
As translators get to grips with Polish, Hungarian and Lithuanian for the first time, experts in languages from all over Europe and beyond are gathering in Southampton for an international conference on ideologies, policies and practices.
The University of Southampton's Centre for Transnational Studies has organised the three-day event (8-10 July) which will cover many issues related to regional and minority languages, globalisation and multiculturalism. Academics at the centre who are specialists in French, German, Hispanic languages and English will contribute to the debates.
Seventy-five speakers from around the world have been invited to the conference at the University's Avenue Campus.
Organizer Dr Patrick Stevenson commented: "This conference is an exciting opportunity to bring together experts on language issues from many different countries at a crucial moment in the development of the "new Europe". At the heart of all our discussions will be the question of what it now means to be a European and what roles language plays in the complicated process of European integration."
Related Staff Member
Professor Patrick Stevenson BA, MA, PhD, PGCE
Professor Patrick Stevenson is a Professor of German and Linguistic Studies in Modern Languages and Linguistics at the University of Southampton.
Read moreNotes for editors
- The Centre for Transnational Studies aims to promote the study of cultural, social and political phenomena within a transnational context. Working across different languages and disciplines, it explores the transnational traffic of people and ideas in different parts of the world. Many projects are concerned with migration, diasporas and identities. The Centre's activities include major funded research projects; seminar series, workshops and conferences; visiting scholars and staff exchange programmes; collaboration with researchers across the University, nationally and internationally and the dissemination of ideas and work in Transnational Studies. www.transnational.soton.ac.u
- The University of Southampton is a leading UK teaching and research institution with a global reputation for leading-edge research and scholarship. The University has over 19,200 students and 4,800 staff and plays an important role in the City of Southampton. Its annual turnover is in the region of £250 million.