The University of Vigo research group Language Variation and Textual Categorisation (LVTC) and the UIB research project Variation in English Worldwide (ViEW) have announced that an international conference titled “Gibraltar English: Linguistic, Literary and Cultural Perspectives”, will take place on 8-9 July 2024 at the MARCO Museum lecture theatre in Vigo, Galicia, Spain.

The first edition of this conference was held at the University of Cambridge in September 2023. This inaugural conference was designed to bring together Gibraltarian writers and European academics working on Gibraltarian literary production. The conference papers and discussions brought to light the complex linguistic and cultural aspects of Gibraltar, which are, to this day, underresearched. This sparked the launch of two more editions of the Gibraltar International Conference, to be held at the University of Vigo (2024) and the University of Basel (2025), and to formalise and expand the original focus of the conference.

The Gibraltar International Conference in Vigo will explore the linguistic, literary and cultural diversity of Gibraltar. 

The organising committee is made up of: Elena Seoane (Chair), UVigo, Lucía Loureiro-Porto (Secretary), UIB, Javier Pérez-Guerra (Treasurer), UVigo, Cristina Suárez-Gómez, UIB, Yolanda Fernández-Pena (Website), UVigo, Nuria Yáñez-Bouza, UVigo.

Call for papers: 

Organisers are inviting proposals for 20-minute presentations, followed by 10 minutes of discussion, on any of the topics below or related ones.

Literature: the literary production of Gibraltarian authors or authors related to Gibraltar, in English or Spanish, as well as the representation of Gibraltar in literature

Borderland issues: the political, social and economic implications of living in a border area between two countries, especially in relation to Brexit, sovereignty disputes and cross-border mobility

Cultural hybridity: the blending and mixing of different cultural elements in Gibraltar, resulting in a unique and dynamic culture that reflects its multicultural and multilingual heritage

Llanito: the local vernacular that mixes English and Spanish with elements from other languages, such as Haketia, Arabic, Genoese and Maltese, and its sociolinguistic features and functions

Codeswitching and codemixing in Gibraltar: the linguistic phenomenon of switching between languages or varieties within a conversation or utterance, and its motivations and effects in Gibraltar

Gibraltarian English: any aspect of the variety of English spoken in Gibraltar, and how it differs from other varieties of English around the world, influenced by local customs and ideology, as well as the attitudes towards it

Language death: the process of decline and disappearance of a language or a dialect, and its causes and consequences in Gibraltar

Proposals should include the following information:

Title of the presentation

Name and academic affiliation of the presenter(s)

Email address of the presenter(s)

Abstract of 300-400 words, outlining the main objectives, methods and findings of the presentation

Keywords (3-5)

Proposals should be sent as an attachment (Word or PDF format) to [email protected] by 1 April 2024. Notification of acceptance will be sent by 15 April 2024.