Welcome to the 2010 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. This page is also available in French by clicking on français on the top right of the page.

You can download the call for papers and initial conference information by clicking here.

Conference details

The 2010 conference is hosted by Peterhouse, University of Cambridge (UK) and will be held on 1-3 September 2010.

The theme of this year's conference is "Le français: langue une, langue plurielle". This conference will focus on the relationship between the allegedly homogeneous character of the (prestige) norm or reference variety traditionally associated with the French language as used in France (`langue une') and the heterogeneity to be found in speaker-writer practice, perceptions and attitudes (`langue plurielle'). The conference will take account of both historical and contemporary data from a variety of geographical locations, situations of communication and social contexts. Papers are invited which explore both the evolving character of the standard in France and emerging norms in other francophone countries in the light of changes in the social environment and language policy. These might seek, on the one hand, to characterise the rapidly changing role of French in international and intra-national communication, including comparative approaches with other languages of wider communication, and to evaluate the place of other languages in the linguistic repertoire of Francophones in various locations, particularly as affected by language policy with special reference to language acquisition. On the other hand, empirical analyses of usage through specific studies of the output of L1 and L2 speakers as well as learner varieties will also be particularly encouraged, as will studies of other languages used in French-speaking territories. The conference programme will thus endeavour to interface the structural dynamics of discourse and stylistic variation, both in relation to contemporary and historical material and to the social and policy-framed environments, in which these phenomena occur.

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. Topics include, but are not limited to:

  1. empirical studies of oral and written data;
  2. prestige varieties outside France;
  3. varieties derived from new media (e.g. Internet fora, texting);
  4. defence and promotion of French
  5. French and other languages of wider communication, domain loss
  6. linguistic repertoires of Francophones
  7. youth and migrants
  8. changing social context/s

The languages of the conference will be French and English

Organisers and co-organisers

Mari Jones (Peterhouse and Department of French, University of Cambridge), Tim Pooley and AFLS committee

Important dates
  • Submission of abstract for main conference: 15 March 2010
  • Submission of abstract to doctoral workshop: 15 March 2010
  • Notification of outcome: 31 March 2010
  • End of early-bird registration: 7 May 2010
  • Registration closes: 23 May 2010
  • Conference: 1-3 September 2010

Calls for papers

Submission of abstracts

Abstracts are welcomed both for individual papers (20 minutes + 10 minutes for questions) and also for themed panels (3 papers: 3x20 minutes + 3x10 minutes questions).

Paper proposals (papers: 20 minutes presentation plus 10 minutes of discussion) must be sent by 15th March 2010 as a one-page anonymous abstract (excluding bibliography, times 12 pt, single spaced in DOC or RTF format) attached to an email message sent to Hélène Blondeau, Chair of the AFLS Resesearch Committee blondeau@ufl.edu. The email message should include the title of the abstract and the name, affiliation and complete address of the author(s).

Notification of acceptance or rejection

Notification of the outcome of your submission will be sent by 31st March 2010.

Doctoral (PhD) students' workshop

The morning of the 1st 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 in a less formal atmosphere than the main conference. Doctoral students are still welcome to apply for the main conference and should do so according to the guidelines for the main conference. The deadline for the submission of doctoral students' paper proposals is 15th March 2010. They should be sent according to the guidelines mentioned above, although the email message must state that the submission is for the doctoral workshop.

NEW The AFLS committee is pleased to announce that we will award a research prizes for the top three abstracts.

The programme and abstract booklet for the doctoral workshop at the 2010 AFLS conference in Cambridge are now available for download. Programme,

Registration

Registration to the conference is now open. Please register online by clicking here. Unfortunately we cannot take payment online and so we would ask that you print and post the payment details as explained on the form. We would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused.

We would like to apologise for the delay in opening registration. This has been caused by problems obtaining the necessary certificates to ensure the site is secure to take credit card details. If you choose to pay by credit card and enter your details online then we will store these details encrypted on our server until the payment has been processed and then they will be permanently deleted.

The registration fee includes dinner on Wednesday 1st, lunch on thursday 2nd and Friday 3rd and tea/coffee breaks.

The cost of registering for the conference is £160 for members of AFLS (£140 for student and unwaged members). Non-members of AFLS are also welcome to attend the conference either by joining AFLS and claiming the reduced registration fee or by paying £202 (£182 for student and unwaged non-members). Registration fees will increase by £20 after 7th May 2010. All the options are clearly marked on the registration form.

We will also offer two optional extras: the conference dinner at a cost of £33 including wine and a 2 hour walking tour of Cambridge on 3rd September (2pm-4pm) for £10. The conference dinner menu is given below. A vegetarian option will also be provided.
Carrot, red lentil and coriander soup
Herb croutons
~~o~~
Char-grilled fillet of lamb
Red wine jus
Roast potatoes
Selection of seasonal vegetables
~~o~~
Summer fruit cheesecake
~~o~~
Coffee

Finally, we also offer the opportunity to book rooms at Peterhouse for 1st and 2nd September. It is not possible to book for just one night or for extra nights. The cost of a single en-suite room bed and breakfast for the two nights is £130 in total and a single non-ensuite room costs £90 in total.

Programme

A final programme including a map of the conference venue is now available to download here. You can also view a list of the confirmed speakers by clicking here.

The programme and abstract booklet for the doctoral workshop at the 2010 AFLS conference in Cambridge are now available for download. Programme, Abstracts

Plenary speakers

  • Raymond Mougeon (York University, Canada) abstract
  • Florence Myles (Newcastle University, UK) abstract
  • Peter Blumenthal (University of Cologne, Germany) abstract

Information for doctoral workshop

AFLS conference top abstracts award

There are three awards and they are awarded to the three best abstracts submitted to the doctoral workshop. First prize is £200, second prize £150 and third prize £150. If successful, we would also ask you to provide a bank card number and the name of the holder, which we will credit.

Travel bursary

The travel bursary is a contribution to costs and will not cover all your expenses. Doctoral students may be able to benefit from a grant from the AFLS to cover part of their travel expenses depending on their personal situation. A support of up to £150 max. (pounds sterling) can be applied for. Further information and application form will be available shortly.

Accommodation

Accommodation at a special rate will be available at the college on a first come first served basis. En-suite and non-en-suite rooms are available at Peterhouse for both 1st and 2nd September. It is not possible to book for just one night. The cost of an ensuite room bed and breakfast for the two nights is £130 (total) and a non-ensuite room costs £90 (total). These rooms can be booked via the registration form. Should you require rooms for extra nights or prefer not to stay in the college, then we suggest you consult the Cambridge Tourist Office website.

Transport

For information on how to get to Peterhouse, Cambridge, please see the Peterhouse website by clicking here

General Peterhouse info

Peterhouse is the oldest of the Cambridge colleges, founded by Hugo de Balsham, Bishop of Ely in 1284 and granted its charter by King Edward I. As a charitable institution dedicated to education and research, the College has made its own distinctive contribution to society for over 700 years, surviving the Reformation, Civil War and the upheavals of every century since. It remains the smallest college in terms of number of Fellows and students, but as the late Noel Annan put it in his 1999 survey of the universities and society, The Dons, this small College has always had ``an intellectual influence É out of all proportion to [its] size''.

The College's remarkable continuity is reflected in the historical benefactions that underpin its life and work today. Communal life is centred on the Hall built with the legacy of the Founder on his death in 1286: the Chapel, the creation of Matthew Wren and John Cosin in the 1600s; and the Libraries, which have built on the benefactions of Andrew Perne in the sixteenth century and of Adolphus Ward in the early twentieth. The current, 52nd, Master lives in a Lodge built by the son of the 30th Master, Joseph Beaumont, left to the College in 1727. The Heron Bequest, established through the Clothworkers' Company, has supported a Scholar since 1580. Our Organ Scholars are still funded from the seventeenth century benefaction of Bernard Hale. Fellowships, Studentships and a building were funded and named by William Stone in the late twentieth century. We remember with gratitude these, and many others who have shaped our College, at the annual Service for the Commemoration of Benefactors.

Yet this small College, rooted in continuity, is at the same time a centre of innovation, across a spectrum of subjects from the most evidently practical to the most apparently esoteric. Throughout its history, Petreans have been at the heart of the political, social and religious controversies that have shaped society. The computer takes its inspiration from Charles Babbage. Lord Kelvin brought electric light to the College second only to the Houses of Parliament, to mark Peterhouse's 600th anniversary in 1884. Sir Frank Whittle and Christopher Cockerill gave the world the jet engine and the hovercraft. All were Petreans. Four Petrean scientific Nobel Laureates Ð Sir John Kendrew, Sir Aaron Klug, Archer Martin and Max Perutz Ð gave a twentieth century lead in Molecular Biology. As that century neared its end, the Presidents of both the Royal Society and the British Academy were Petreans. Throughout, Peterhouse has remained a place where, rooted in tradition and security, new ideas, and successive generations of the brightest young people, have evolved, grown, and taken wing. It has been and is somewhere that values the bold, the characterful and the committed above the commonplace, the familiar and the mundane.

General information about Cambridge is available on the Cambridge tourist office website.