Welcome to the Oxford 2008 AFLS conference page. We hope that you will find all the necessary information for attendance at the conference and that your stay will be a pleasant one. Please click on the relevant link below to take you to that section of the page.

Conference details

The 2008 conference is hosted by University of Oxford and will take place at the Taylor Institution, Oxford from 3 to 5 September 2008.

The theme of this year's conference is "Les voix du français: usages et représentations".

Topics included are:

  • Description of French (phonology, morphosyntax, lexis, sociolinguistics, pragmatics, stylistics and psycholinguistics)
  • Regional and diachronic variation in French
  • Non-hexagonal French, sociolects, dialects

This conference aims to bring together researchers with an interest in French in all of its forms and in all of its representations, both spoken and written. In particular, participants are invited to address social, phonological, grammatical, syntactical and lexical features of French, as well as dialogic and polyphonic dimensions of the language. Discussions will focus on any of these aspects of the language, not only in metropolitan French (dialects, regionalisms, social varieties) but also across the French-speaking world (European, North American, African varieties, creoles). Papers may adopt a synchronic or diachronic perspective.

Papers are also invited which analyse acquisitional and educational approaches to French as a Foreign Language - such as stages of acquisition and the learner's language representations, learning and teaching strategies, formative and summative assessement, learning contexts.

The languages of the conference will be French and English

Organisers and co-organisers

Michaël Abecassis (University of Oxford), Myriam Abouzaïd (Université Stendhal, Grenoble), Nigel Armstrong (University of Leeds), Laure Ayosso (University of Oxford), Gudrun Ledegen (Université de la Réunion), Caroline Rossi (Université Lyon 2)

Scientific Committee

Hélène Blondeau (University of Florida), David Hornsby (University of Kent), Emmanuelle Labeau (Aston University), Florence Myles (Newcastle University), Tim Pooley (London Metropolitan University), Vera Regan (University of Dublin), Rodney Sampson (Bristol University), David Trotter (University of Wales, Aberystwyth), Michaël Abecassis (University of Oxford).

Important dates
  • Submission of abstract for main conference: 1 May 2008
  • Submission of abstract to doctoral workshop: 15 June 2008
  • Notification of outcome: end of June 2008
  • End of early-bird registration: 15 July 2008
  • Registration closes: 7 August 2008 **UPDATE: PLEASE NOTE**
  • Conference: 3-5 September 2008

Calls for papers

The call for papers can be downloaded in English.

Submission of abstracts:

Paper proposals (20 minutes with 10 minutes of discussion) should reach us by 1 May 2008 as a one-page abstract, accompanied by the author's affiliation and complete address on a separate page. They should be sent electronically to Michaël Abecassis (who will forward abstracts to the scientific committee): afls2008oxford@hotmail.fr

The scientific committee will send its response by end of June 2008.

Workshop for doctoral students: The morning of 3 September will be dedicated to the workshop for doctoral students. Students preparing a thesis are invited to present their research. This has traditionally been an excellent opportunity to meet other doctoral students and specialists in related fields of research, and to gain a new perspective of ongoing research in your field. You may be able to benefit from a grant from the AFLS to cover part of your travel expenses. The deadline for the submission of postgraduate paper proposals is 15 June 2008: these should be sent to blandine.guillot@anu.edu.au. For full submission details please see the downloadable call above.

Registration

Updated: Please note that registration is now closed.

For your information the costs of the conference are as follows:
You can either register for the full conference package:

  • I am a member of AFLS (£105/£125 after 15/07/08)
  • I am not a member of AFLS (£135/£155 after 15/07/08)
  • Yes and I am a student and member of AFLS (£75/£90 after 15/07/08)
  • Yes and I am a student but not a member of AFLS (£105/£120 after 15/07/08)
Or you can register for individual days:
  • Wednesday only (£50/£55 after 15/07/08)
  • Thursday only (£60/£65 after 15/07/08)
  • Friday only (£60/£65 after 15/07/08)
We also offer two optional extras: the conference dinner (£35) and a guided walking tour of Oxford (£6.50).

Programme

The programme and the abstracts are now available here.

Plenary speakers

Joëlle Gardes-Tamine (Université de Paris 4)
Tony Lodge (University of St Andrews)
Mortéza Mahmoudian (Université de Lausanne)
Sophie Moirand (Université de Paris 3)
Ambroise Quéffelec (Université de Provence)
Alain Rey (Lexiographer, Paris)

Information for doctoral workshop

The provisional programme for the doctoral workshop is now available. To view it, please click here. To download the programme in pdf format please click here. To download the abstracts in pdf format, please click here.

The travel bursary is a contribution to costs and will not cover all your expenses. In any case it will not exceed 150 pounds sterling. The criterion for the award include merit, distance travelled, how your degree is financed, personal and professional circumstances. It is therefore competitive and not automatic. If successful, we would also ask you to provide a bank card number and the name of the holder, which we will credit, to Nigel Armstrong:

Nigel Armstrong
Department of French
University of Leeds
Leeds LS2 9JT
Tel.: 0113 343 3490
Email: N.R.Armstrong@leeds.ac.uk

The application form can be found here
Return the form before 5th August 2008 to: Blandine.guillot@anu.edu.au

Accommodation/ Logement

You can find/book accommodation in Oxford using either of these two sites.
A1 tourism
Visit Oxford

Alternatively 25 student rooms (no en-suite) are available in St Edmund's Hall for 3 nights from 2-4 September inclusive. If you would like to reserve one of these rooms at a cost of £35 per night included breakfast then please contact the organisers: afls2008oxford@hotmail.fr . This will be done on a first come - first served basis.

New Accommodation Option: We now also have 30 en-suite rooms at Hertford College's Graduate Centre (near Folly Bridge). These rooms cost £60 per night including breakfast. There are also 40 rooms (no en-suite) at Warnock House (also near Folly Bridge). These rooms cost £50 including breakfast. To reserve these rooms please contact fatjon.alliaj@hertford.ox.ac.uk

Transport

The following links will take you to external sites providing details on how best to get to/from Oxford and travel within the city. AFLS is not responsible for the content of external sites.

General information/ Information générale:
How to get to Oxford
Oxford City Council transport site
Details of the Park and Ride scheme in Oxford

Bus information: Oxford bus or Oxford TUBE

Train information: National Rail enquiries

General Oxford info

In order to further enjoy your stay in Oxford, you may find the following sites useful.
Maison française d'Oxford
Oxford Tourist Information
Visitor information and map
Walking Tours/
What to see and do

The Bodleian Library runs tours on Saturdays at 10.30am, 11.30am, 2pm and 3pm, cost £6 An extended tour can be booked at 11.30, before the 22km of underground stacks close (1 PM), cost £12. There is also a mini tour organised by them at 4 PM, cost £4.

You can download a list of all the links on this section as well as those in transport and accommodation here.

All in one click!

You can download a list of all the links on this page here.