The Sixth International Conference on Third Language Acquisition and Multilingualism will be held at the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Italy, on 10-12 September 2009. The aim of the conference is the discussion of topics related to a minimum of three languages.

To learn more about this conference and the sumbission deadlines, download the PDF document or visit the conference website.

DYLAN made the news at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB): The DYLAN project, its consortium meeting in Barcelona and the public session with the participation of city representatives is proudly presented on the university web site:

http://www.uab.cat/servlet/Satellite/NOTICIES/Detall-d-una-noticia/La-UAB-participa-en-la-iniciativa-linguistica-europea-DYLAN--1090226434100.html?noticiaid=1232609142104"

A new book entitled “Discourse and Transformation in Central and Eastern Europe”, co-edited by Aleksandra Galasinska (University of Wolverhampton, UK) and Michal Krzyzanowski (Lancaster University and DYLAN WP2 and WP5), has just been published. The  volume explores the discursive construction of post-1989 social change in Central and Eastern Europe. Encompassing a set of national case studies on countries such as Czech Republic, former East-Germany, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovenia or other Balkan states, the volume explores processes of post-communist transformation from the point of view of accelerating and unique dynamics of linguistic and discursive practices. Providing in-depth, systematic analysis of discourse in different situations, contributions to the volume analyse diverse forms of social, political, cultural, economic or institutional transformation in post-communist contexts. The analysis points to several differences and similarities between ways in which discourse influences the unprecedented social change across Central and Eastern Europe. Further information available from Palgrave Macmillan (link: http://www.palgrave.com/products/title.aspx?PID=278712).  

DYLAN Researchers Michal Krzyzanowski and Ruth Wodak (both Lancaster University and WP5 and WP2 Managers) have published a new book entitled “The Politics of Exclusion: Debating Migration in Austria”. This important book aims to provide understanding of the many socio-political and historical processes involved in expressions of institutional and individual racism—processes which are not necessarily evident from more overt or traditional expressions of racism. This is an innovative look at the political study of language and discourse as well as new instances of race, ethnicity, and class in present-day Europe. Further information available from Transaction Publishers: http://www.transactionpub.com/cgi-bin/transactionpublishers.storefront/4964d8620020c36cea6ec0a80aa50735/Product/View/1&2D4128&2D0836&2D7

Le projet DYLAN a fait l’objet d’une présentation dans le cadre du Forum organisé par le Conseil Européen pour les Langues, qui s’est tenu à Bruxelles le 5 décembre dernier, sous le titre “Intégration, expansion et globalisation - un nouveau défi pour l’Europe”.

Take your agenda to note another rendez-vous brought to you by a DYLAN partner: Jérôme Jacquin, a member of the DYLAN team at University of Lausanne (UNIL) will organise, in collaboration with Marcel Burger et Raphaël Micheli, the meeting « Le français parlé dans les medias (French as used by the medias)», which will be held on 1-4 September 2008 at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland. You will find more information by clicking here!

Dylan researcher and coordination team member François Grin was interviewed by the Swiss newspaper "Le Temps" last October. This article "Comprendre la langue du voisin (understand the neighbour's language)", deals with the issue of the "inter-comprehension", a subjet treated by Grin in a book recenly published in collaboration with Virginie Conti ("S'entendre entre langues voisines: vers l'intercompréhnsion", Ed. Georg.). Will it be possible to speak to a person with a language different from but close to ours after just some days of adaption? If you wish to learn more about this subjet, you can read the full article here.

In a multilingual context, as the Swiss one, the immigration of foreign language users and the increasing predominance of English - especially in leading positions - introduce a new debate: Should one introduce a unique lingua franca, despite of the multiligual tradition of Switzerland or should immigrants rather be encouraged to learn the language of the region where they decide to stay? This is the subjet of an article by Georges Lüdi, DYLAN researcher and deputy coordinator, published in the Swiss newspaper "Le Temps". Here you will find the complete version of this article.

DYLAN project partner University of Lancaster will organise a seminar on the subject "Dynamics of memories". This event will take place on 28-29 November 2008 and the access is free of charge. For further information or registration please click here.

On 17 November 2008, a conference will take place in Bern to present the findings of the PNR56 (Projet National de Recherche, National Project of Research). DYLAN will be represented there through François Grin, researcher at University of Geneva and deputy coordinator of DYLAN, who is co-responsible of the PNR56 "Langues étrangères dans l'activité professionnelle" (foreign languages in a professional context). For more information, please click here.