ICLC-15 Theme session proposalSimon Devylder, Alice Gaby, Jonathan Schlossberg*Minority Languages & Cognitive Linguistics:

towards a two‑way relationship*

We would like to invite short abstracts (100 words) for participation inour proposed theme session on “Minority Languages and CognitiveLinguistics: towards a two-way relationship” at the 15th InternationalCognitive Linguistics Conference (ICLC-15) at Kwansei Gakuin University,Nishinomiya, Japan:

https://iclc2019.site/conference-information/call-for-papers

（相关内容：ICLC-15暨2019国际认知语言学大会征稿）

Studies of minority languages (both signed and spoken) have not only playeda significant role in the inception of Cognitive Linguistics (CL) fourdecades ago, but have continuously provided researchers with uniqueinsights into the study of language ever since (Rice, 2017). The‘preconception-altering’ fieldwork experience of linguists, and thecross-linguistic perspective that comes with it, has indeed been one of themost fertile sources of inspiration for contributions to CL frameworks.Many of the most prominent figures in cognitive linguistics have tappedinto the diversity of the world’s languages to develop models, theories andmethods to better understand language as a dependent cognitive faculty in avariety of domains of inquiry. A far from exhaustive list includes:research on spatial semantics and cognition, lexical categorization,polysemy and radial categories, event representation and semantic typology,the interface of syntax and semantics, and so on. In sum, studies ofminority languages have been pivotal to CL.

But what has CL done for minority language communities? And perhaps moreimportantly, what can it do? UNESCO reported in 2010 that 2,700 of theworld’s 6,700 languages, each carrying generations of worldviews andcultural traditions, are at risk of extinction. This is certainly tragicfor modern social sciences scholarship, but more importantly, it threatensthe linguistic and cultural heritage of minority language communitiesaround the world.

We would like to invite researchers with experience and interest in thestudy of minority languages from a CL perspective to contribute to adiscussion of the path to a more balanced two-way collaboration between(indigenous and non-indigenous, deaf and hearing) cognitive linguists andsigned and spoken language communities. We invite proposals that addressthe two following questions:1. How can the study of minority languages illuminate and enrich the studyof language from a cognitive linguistic perspective?

2. How can minority languages and communities benefit from the cognitivelinguistics enterprise? Especially in cases where the cognitive linguist’sexpertise is more specific than the broad knowledge required for more‘standard’ revitalization and maintenance practices.

We especially welcome contributions from members of minority languagecommunities.

Abstract submission*Please submit a brief summary (100 words) for a 25-minute presentation tominlangcogling@gmail.com by September 7th 2018*

Simon, Alice, and Jonathan.