Sign CAFÉ 1

The first international workshop on cognitive and functional explorations in sign language linguistics.

The University of Birmingham is hosting the first international workshop on cognitive and functional approaches to sign language linguistics, or Sign CAFÉ 1. We hope that this workshop will become a regular forum to discuss approaches towards sign language linguistics in the cognitive/functional linguistics tradition.

Broadly defined, cognitive/functional perspectives in the language sciences emphasise that language as a means of communication, as a type of social action, and its relationship to other cognitive systems are all crucial to the understanding of language structure. Our definition includes a wide range of theoretical approaches, but they each have in common the importance they place on the role of communication and cognition in both linguistic theory and description. 

Invited speakers will be:

• Elisabeth Engberg-Pedersen, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
• Nick Palfreyman, University of Central Lancashire, UK
• Corrine Occhino, Rochester Institute of Technology, USA

The official languages of the conference will be English and International Sign (IS), with British Sign Language (BSL) and American Sign Language (ASL) as additional languages. We will provide interpreting between English and IS. We may be able to offer interpretation between signed presentations in BSL or ASL and IS/English (please contact the organiser a.schembri@bham.ac.uk if you would like to express an interest in this option).

Call for papers - conference proceedings

We are pleased to announce that we plan to publish a conference proceedings of Sign CAFÉ 1.

• further information including deadlines and submission information

Programme

• 2018 programme (pdf)

Call for papers

Information on call for papers (now closed).

Sign CAFÉ 1 Programme Committee

• Calle Börstell, University of Stockholm, Sweden
• Olga Capirci, The Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies, Italy
• Maria Del Carmen Cabeza Pereiro, University of Vigo, Spain
• Kearsy Cormier, University College London, UK
• Jordan Fenlon, Heriot-Watt University, UK
• Lindsay Ferrara, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway
• José Garcia-Miguel, University of Vigo, Spain
• Brigitte Garcia, University of Paris 8, France
• Gabrielle Hodge, University College London, UK
• Lynn Hou, University of California San Diego, USA
• Tommi J. Jantunen, University of Jyväskylä, Finland
• Terry Janzen, University of Manitoba, Canada
• Trevor A. Johnston, Macquarie University, Australia
• Lorraine Leeson, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
• Ryan Lepic, University of Chicago, USA
• Johanna Mesch, University of Stockholm, Sweden
• Laurence Meurant, University of Namur, Belgium
• Anna-Lena Nilsson, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway
• Gerardo Ortega, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, The Netherlands
• David Quinto-Pozos, University of Texas Austin, USA
• Luke A. Rudge, University of the West of England, UK
• Marie-Anne Sallandre, University of Paris 8, France
• Barbara Shaffer, University of New Mexico, USA
• Beyza Sumer, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, The Netherlands
• Robin Thompson, University of Birmingham, UK
• Myriam Vermeerbergen, Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium
• Miako Villaneuva, Gallaudet University, USA
• Erin Wilkinson, University of Manitoba, Canada