5th International Summit of the Book, Limerick, Ireland, November 2-3, 2016

3790507327_d665c4b67f_mRegistration is now open for the 5th International Summit of the Book in Limerick, Ireland. The summit will take place from the 2nd to the 3rd of November 2016. The event will be in the 4 star Limerick Strand Hotel. The purpose of this year’s Summit is to provide a forum for discussing the development of books into electronic formats and the subsequent impact on reading, addressing the tole of book translation in the preservation and transmission of culture. Among the list of scheduled speakers are John Van Oudenaren (Director, Scholarly and Educational Programs, The Library of Congress, Washington D.C. and Director, World Digital Library) and Dr. Sandra Collins (Director of the National Library of Ireland (NLI).

Onomastics Workshop at the 50th Annual Meeting of the Societas Linguistica Europaea (SLE), Zurich, Switzerland, September 10-13, 2017

18030017158_b49c6b94c6_mWhen a new person, place, thing, or idea is introduced into a language community, it is customary that the language users develop a name to designate the newcomer. Two of the most common linguistic strategies for developing names are borrowing preexisting names from other language communities and forming entirely new names. From the 10th to the 13th of September 2017, a workshop will be held in Zurich, Switzerland on the historical interaction between borrowing and word-formation in naming. This workshop will be held as a part of the 50th Annual Meeting of the Societas Linguistica Europaea (SLE). The deadline for abstract submissions (max. 300 words, excluding references) for the workshop is October 25, 2016.

Emerging Scholar Award Submissions due November 14, 2016

ANS Logo final 1 img onlyPresenters for the 2017 ANS Conference who are eligible for and interested in applying for the ANS Emerging Scholar Award (ESA), should have received all pertinent information.

The information is also available here: ESA Application Invitation

Emerging Scholar Award Submissions are due Monday, November 14, 2016.

Please send submissions to both ANS President Dr. I. M. Nick (mavi.yaz@web.de) and this year’s ESA Chair, Dr. Jan Tent (jan.tent@mq.edu.au).

The Trumptionary

donald_trump_august_19_2015_cropped2The English language is evolving. In the Trumptionary posts (part 1 and part 2) the Chronicle of Higher Education discusses words we’ve coined based on Trump’s name and some of the things he has said this election season.

11th International Conference of the Asian Association for Lexicography (ASIALEX), Guangzhou, China, June 10-12, 2017

2212723409_4904df45f7_mThe 11th International Conference of the Asian Association for Lexicography (ASIALEX 2017) will be held at Guangdong University of Foreign Studies (GDUFS) in Guangzhou, China from the 10th to the 12 of June 2017. This conference will mark the 20th anniversary of ASIALEX. For inquiries regarding paper submission requirements and registration procedures, use the following email address: asialex2017@126.com.

Why we change our names

indexnameAbout 22,000 Canadians change their names each year. This article about changed names, discusses the many issues behind an individual’s decision to go through this bureaucratic process. The author interviews both Diane Dechief, former vice-president of the Canadian Society for the Study of Names, and Dr. Iman Nick, president of the American Name Society.

Controversy over Blackfoot names for new Calgary development

8504676086_74a1a4558d_mCanadian Council members recently decided to name the streets of an up and coming development adjacent to Canada’s Olympic Park in honor Calgary’s rich indigenous history. After consultation with Blackfoot elders in the area, several toponyms were selected. Although the idea itself was initially applauded by Canadians both inside and outside of the Blackfoot community, an unexpected debate subsequently erupted over the language to be used for the street names. While some would prefer English translations, others argue that the Blackfoot originals should be used instead. Read more about this onomastic controversy.