Dictionary Conference 2010
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English Dictionaries in Global and Historical Context
3-5 June 2010
A conference hosted by the Strathy Language Unit and the Department of English, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, CANADA
- A. Event Information
- B. Registration
- C. Accommodation Options
- D. Travel & Tourism Links
- E. Professional Links & Acknowledgements
What intellectual and social impact have English and English-bilingual dictionaries had in the world from the era of the Latin-Anglo-Saxon glossary to the era of the collaboratively constructed and web-based Inuktitut Living Dictionary? To what extent did the manuscript and printed dictionaries of English from the 11th century to the 20th reflect and inform contemporaneous linguistic norms, literary movements and social mores, and how now, in the early 21st century, will the role of English as a lingua franca and the competition of burgeoning and irreverent user-compiled dictionaries affect or reshape the traditional dictionary?
At this conference we are looking at the codification of English lexicon through a wide-angle lens, examining English dictionaries not as cultural givens but as books with authors and readers, produced in a various historical and bicultural contexts, and serving particular artistic, cultural, commercial and political ends. We hope that the historical and cultural breadth of this conference will allow us to reconsider the role of English dictionaries today, in a world that is increasingly English-speaking and e-literate and yet digitally and economically stratified. Over 40 scholars from around the world will present papers, including keynote speakers Mark Abley (author of The Prodigal Tongue: Dispatches from the Future of English) and Srinivas Aravamudan (author of Guru English: South Asian Religion in A Cosmopolitan Language).
All those interested in dictionaries and the themes of this conference are welcome to register. Broad participation by academics, lexicographical professionals and community members will enrich our discussions. The keynote talks by Mark Abley, on Thursday evening, and Srinivas Aravamudan, on Saturday afternoon, will be open to the public.
A one-page schedule for the conference.
The full program for the conference (newly revised).
A quick-view poster for two conference talks open to the general public:
public talks poster
A conference poster of printable quality:
printable quality
A news article:
English Dictionaries in Global and Historical Context. Kernerman Dictionary News 17 (July 2009): 14-15.
The call for papers. (The deadline for submissions has passed.)
Contact person: Janice McAlpine, Strathy Language Unit
Email: jm27@queensu.ca
Telephone: 1-613-533-6000, ext. 74241
or
Marta Straznicky, Head, English DepartmentEmail: straznic@queensu.ca
Telephone: 1-613-533-2153
The registration fee for English Dictionaries in Global and Historical Context is $185.00, with a special rate for students of $125.00. For those who wish to attend only a single day of the conference, there is a one-day registration fee of $75.00. All fees are in Canadian dollars (CAD) and applicable Canadian taxes (totalling 13%) will be added. Online preregistration is required.
The conference registration fee covers breaks and lunch on the first day; breaks and a dinner banquet on the second day; and breaks and a closing reception on the final day. Data projection for presenters who need it is also included, but accommodation is not (see below).
We have organized a complimentary 50-minute trolley tour of Kingston on Friday evening after the meal. There are 43 seats on the "trolley," and tickets, while they last, will be allocated through the online registration process.
Those travelling with a spouse or friend may wish to purchase an additional ticket for the banquet ($30).
Note that registration fees are fully refundable until May 3, 2010 (less a processing fee of $25). A 50% refund is possible until May 18, 2010; after that date fees are nonrefundable except in extraordinary circumstances.
Online registration begins January 18, 2010.
Click to enter the online registration page. (Try using Internet Explorer if another browser, such as Mozilla Firefox, will not open the registration page.) You will need a credit card (Visa or MasterCard) to register.
Email Bonnie Hall bhh@queensu.ca if you have problems registering or special queries regarding registration.
June is usually a beautiful month in Kingston, and the weekend of the conference is a convocation (graduation) weekend at Queen's University. Therefore, accommodation will fill up quickly. We urge you to reserve a room early. Scroll down for three suggestions:
- Stay on campus.
- Stay in a fine, downtown hotel (20 min. walk).
- Stay in one of Kingston's beautiful Sydenham Ward inns and B&Bs (10 min. walk).
1. Stay on campus.
A block of rooms has been reserved for the conference (until April 30, after which availability is not guaranteed) in the newest, air conditioned Queen's University residences on the edge of Lake Ontario. The nightly rate for a two-bedroom unit with a private bathroom is $99.00, plus tax. These rooms are supplied with linens, alarm clocks, telephones, free Internet connection (bring a cable to plug in). Smoking is not allowed in campus residences. Unreturned room keys: $75 charge. Vehicles on campus: weekday parking pass, $12; weekends and evenings, no charge.
- Quote English Dictionaries Conference, event number 15877, when making a reservation--
- online: https://housing.queensu.ca/reservations/
- telephone: 1-613- 533-2223
- email: event.services@queensu.ca
- fax: 1-613-533-6624
Note that the university does not normally rent the bedrooms in campus two-bedroom units individually because the locks within these units (i.e. separating each bedroom from the bathroom in the middle) are privacy rather than security locks. That said, if there are conference registrants who are travelling alone, who would like to rent only a single bedroom (at $50 per night, plus tax), and who are willing to accept any roommate from among our conference participants and to submit payment in advance,the Strathy Language Unit will secure a single room on their behalf. Email Bonnie Hall bhh@queensu.ca for this accommodation option.
2. Stay in a fine, downtown hotel (20 min. walk).
A small block of rooms is available (until April 30, after which availability is not guaranteed) at the Radisson Hotel Kingston Harbourfront, 1 Johnson St. Standard (single or double occupancy) guestrooms are $179 per night, plus taxes. This is a special conference rate; mention the "Strathy Language Unit" when making a reservation. The hotel telephone number is 1-888-548-6726 or 1-613-549-8100.
3. Stay in one of Kingston's beautiful inns or B&Bs (10 min. walk).
Stay in a B&B or historic inn, such as the Rosemount Inn, the Hochelaga Inn, the Secret Garden, the Frontenac Inn, the Hotel Belvedere, the Abbey Manor Inn, or A Stone's Throw. Check individual websites (establishment name, Kingston, Ontario) for rates.
In addition to the options above, Kingston has other, good downtown hotels, all within walking distance of campus, and many reasonably priced outlying motels (some of which will allow smoking in guest rooms; cab fare to campus in the $10-$16 range).
Queen's University International Centre information on travelling from afar
Queen's University visitor information on arriving by car
Here's a good place to start exploring the city, with links to accommodation, restaurants, attractions and services: http://tourism.kingstoncanada.com/en/index.asp. And here's an image of the Kingston trolley tour.
E. Professional Links & Acknowledgements
The International Society for Historical Lexicography and Lexicology (ISHLL) is a society of scholars interested in the history of the dictionary, making historical dictionaries, and historical lexicology; their next conference (ICHLL5) will take place in Oxford, England, not long after this one in June 2010.
The website of the Dictionary Society of North America offers regular updates in lexicography news, as well as information on membership, upcoming meetings, and links to other lexicography sites. The next DSNA meeting will be held in June 2011 at McGill University in Montreal.
Conference funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) is gratefully acknowledged, as is the support of Queen's University Library.
"The Oxford English Dictionary is one of Queen’s University Library’s most used electronic information resources. Recognizing the broad intellectual and social impact of dictionaries as well as their immense reference value, the Library is pleased to sponsor the registration of one student for the English Dictionaries in Global and Historical Context conference."