In light of the developing COVID-19 situation, The University of Queensland has taken important steps to ensure the health and wellbeing of our students, staff, alumni, partners and broader community. UQ has made a decision to postpone the INPRA2020 Conference to 3 - 5 December 2021. Our thoughts are with all of you managing the consequences of the virus during this unprecedented time.
The University of Queensland, School of Languages and Cultures announces
The 9th International Conference on Intercultural Pragmatics and Communication
INPRA 2020
The University of Queensland, Brisbane St Lucia Campus
Conference Convenors:
Prof Michael Haugh (The University of Queensland, Australia)
Dr Valeria Sinkeviciute (The University of Queensland, Australia)
Prof István Kecskés (State University of New York, Albany, USA)
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Languages is an international, peer-reviewed open access journal on interdisciplinary studies of languages and linguistics, indexed in ERIH Plus. We welcome contributions within any theoretical, experimental or applied approach.
INPRA2020
The 9th International Conference on
Intercultural Pragmatics and Communication
Postponed until 3 - 5 December 2021
The University of Queensland
Brisbane, Australia
Call for Papers
The 9th International Conference on Intercultural Pragmatics and Communication (INPRA) has been postponed until 3 - 5 December 2021 and will be held at the University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia. The main aim of INPRA is to bring together researchers from around the world who have diverse scientific backgrounds but share the same field of interest – pragmatics, broadly understood as a cognitive, philosophical, social, and intercultural perspective on language and communication.
Abstracts (max. 300 words) are invited for papers on any topic relevant to the fields of pragmatics and intercultural communication, including but not limited to:
(i) Pragmatics theories: neo-Gricean approaches, relevance theory, theory of mind, meaning, role of context, semantics-pragmatics interface, explicature, implicature, grammaticalisation, speech act theory, presuppositions, (im)politeness, etc.
(ii) Intercultural, cross-cultural and societal aspects of pragmatics: research involving more than one language and culture or varieties of one language, lingua franca, computer mediated communication, bilinguals’ and heritage speakers’ language use, intercultural misunderstandings, effect of dual language and multilingual systems on the development and use of pragmatic skills, language of aggression and conflict, etc.
(iii) Applications: usage and corpus-based approaches, pragmatic competence, teachability and learnability of pragmatic skills, pragmatic variations within one language and across languages, developmental pragmatics, etc.
Presentations will be 20-minutes long plus 10 minutes for questions. All presentations will be in English.
Individual papers:
Individual papers will be thematically grouped into parallel sessions depending on the area of research.
Panels:
Panels of 3 or 6 papers are welcome. Panel organisers need to submit their panel proposal (max. 400 words; including the accepted panel contributors’ names and presentation titles) via the submission system by the due date. Please make sure that your panel consists of 3 or 6 contributions.
Panel papers:
Panel contributors whose papers have been accepted by the panel organisers need to submit their abstracts via the submission system at the same time as the panel proposal by the due date.
Please note that no one can be presenting as first author more than twice.
Abstract submission:
Submissions are currently closed.
We very much hope to be able to transfer over as much of the current programme as possible to the new dates, but we realise that some of you will not be able to make it. We will therefore also issue an additional call for papers in the future. Details of this will be circulated once they are available.
Chairs
Prof Michael Haugh
Dr Valeria Sinkeviciute
Prof István Kecskés
Scientific Committees
Fabienne Baider (University of Cyprus)
Marcella Bertuccelli (Università di Pisa)
Philippe de Brabanter (Institut Jean-Nicod & Université Paris 4/Sorbonne)
Wei-Lin Melody Chang
(The University of Queensland)
Jonathan Culpeper (Lancaster University)
Juliana De Nooy (The University of Queensland)
Adriana Diaz (The University of Queensland)
Marta Dynel (University of Lodz)
Victoria Escandell Vidal (UNED)
Anita Fetzer (Universität Augsburg)
Maria José Fràpolli (Universidad de Granada)
Thorstein Fretheim (Norwegian University of Science and Technology)
He Gang (East China Normal University)
Dirk Geeraerts (University of Leuven)
Rachel Giora (Tel Aviv University)
Cliff Goddard (Griffith University, Brisbane)
Jagoda Granic (University of Split)
Victoria Guillén Nieto (Universidad de Alicante)
Marie-Noëlle Guillot (University of East Anglia)
Michael Haugh (The University of Queensland)
Janet Holmes (Victoria University)
Elly Ifantidou (University of Athens)
Napoleon Katsos (University of Cambridge)
Mohammad H. Keshavarz
(Girne American University)
Ruth Kempson (King's College London)
Mikhail Kissine (Université Libre de Bruxelles)
Eliza Kitis (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki)
Local Organising Committee
Dr Adriana Diaz
Dr Sheng-hsun Lee
Dr Wei-Lin Melody Chang
Dr Juliana De Nooy
Assoc. Prof Marisa Cordella
Tatiana Larina (Peoples' Friendship
University of Russia, Moscow)
Hikyoung Lee (Korea University, Seoul)
Juana Marin Arrese
(Universidad Complutense de Madrid)
Carmen Maíz Arévalo
(Universidad Complutense de Madrid)
Meredith Marra
(Victoria University of Wellington)
Miguel Angel Martínez Cabeza
(Universidad de Granada)
Troy McConanchy (University of Warwick)
Jacques Moeschler (Université de Genève)
Kerry Mullan (RMIT University, Melbourne)
Eniko Nemeth (University of Szeged)
Anna Niżegorodcew
(Jagiellonian University, Krakow)
Olga Obdalova (Tomsk University)
Jun Ohashi (University of Melbourne)
Marcelyn Oostendorp (Stellenbosch University)
Lluís Payrató (Universitat de Barcelona)
Salvador Pons Bordería (Universitat de Valencia)
Anne Reboul
(CNRS Institut des Sciences Cognitives, Bron)
Jesus Romero Trillo
(Universidad Autónoma de Madrid)
Francisco Ruíz de Mendoza
(Universidad de La Rioja)
Valeria Sinkeviciute
(The University of Queensland)
Vittorio Tantucci (Lancaster University)
Enza Tudini
(University of South Australia, Adelaide)
Louis de Saussure
(Université de Neuchâtel)
Klaus Schneider
(Universität Bonn)
Francisco Yus
(Universidad de Alicante)
Xu Wen
(Southwest University, Beibei, Chongqing)
Nick Enfield, The University of Sydney
Pragmatic Universals
Abstract
In this talk I will make a case for certain pragmatic principles that constitute a universal infrastructure for human interaction. These include not only certain aspects of the workings of conversation, but also the morally-grounded elements of joint action and social accountability, without which human interaction would not be the way it is. I will explore some ways in which these pragmatic universals can be calibrated differently in different social and cultural contexts.
Raymond W. Gibbs, Jr., University of California, Santa Cruz
Metaphors in the Flesh: Pragmatic Poetics of Sports Celebrations
Abstract
Athletes often celebrate their in-the-moment accomplishments by dancing, hugging one another, shaking hands in various ways, or performing various individual or group actions. My claim is that quite a few of the celebrations athletes perform (e.g., after scoring goals or touchdown, or making great plays on the field) convey pragmatic, specifically metaphorical, meaning and, as such, are excellent examples of embodied depictions of pragmatic meaning. Most metaphorical sports celebration depictions refer to success in other sports or competitive events in which an athlete enacts some parts of an overall SOURCE-PATH-GOAL image schema as commentary on their just completed on the field performances. Other sports celebrations, such as when athletes dance, are not metaphorical precisely because they do not allude to events in different sports or competitive domains. I will present an analysis of a large corpus of sport celebrations, and then the results of a series of surveys and experiments to show that observers often infer pragmatic, metaphorical meanings with some, but not all, of the sport celebrations they witness on TV and in real-life. This work has several implications for theories of both metaphorical descriptions and depictions and for the pragmatic understanding of human expressive action.
Janet Holmes, Victoria University of Wellington
“Chinese with a lower status will speak like not very loud”: Intercultural interaction in New Zealand workplaces
Abstract
Interaction is the main channel through which people establish connections with others at work, but it is also a crucial means of constructing a professional identity and acquiring relevant professional values. While local sociocultural norms or “ways of doing things round here” are sometimes made explicit by a mentor or workplace buddy, analysis of workplace interaction in a range of New Zealand workplaces indicates that the rules for appropriate behaviour and the related professional values are often very subtle and inexplicit. Building on our theoretical model developed to analyse workplace discourse in its wider socio-cultural context (Holmes, Marra and Vine 2011), this presentation uses the concept of the “culture order” (Holmes 2018). to examine some of the challenges faced by workers transitioning from one country or organisation to another. The analysis explores the struggle involved in developing an appropriate professional identity as part of the transition from legitimate outsider to workplace insider. The issues of pushback and voluntary vs involuntary positioning at the margins of a workplace community of practice are also considered.
Holmes Janet. 2018. Negotiating the culture order in New Zealand workplaces. Language in Society. 47:33–56.
Holmes Janet, Meredith Marra and Bernadette Vine. 2011. Leadership, Discourse and Ethnicity. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
István Kecskés, State University of New York
Implicatures revisited from an intercultural perspective
Abstract
The presentation aims to discuss how implicatures work in intercultural interactions. There is evidence that interlocutors in intercultural interactions rely more on semantics than pragmatics (e.g. House 2003; Kecskes 2007; Trbojevic 2019) because context cannot support pragmatic interpretation the way it does in L1 communication. This seriously affects the use and interpretation of implicatures. At the same time in pragmatic theory there seems to be an agreement between the neo-Gricean account (Chierchia, 2013; Horn 2004) and the post-Gricean account (Sperber and Wilson, 1995; Noveck and Sperber, 2007) on the fact that the process of implicature retrieval is context-dependent. But will this contextualism work in intercultural interactions? Is pragmatics impoverished if interlocutors can only partly rely on pragmatic enrichment coming from context and the target language? The presentation will argue that in fact pragmatics is invigorated in intercultural communication rather than impoverished. Instead of relying on the existing conventions, norms and frames of the target language interlocutors create their own temporary frames, formulas and norms. There is pragmaticization of semantics which is a synchronic, (usually) one-off phenomenon in which coded meaning, sometimes without any specific pragmatic enrichment coming from the target language, obtains temporary pragmatic status. This process is expected to support the use and interpretation of implicatures. This synchronic pragmatic enrichment happens as a result of interlocutors’ blending their dictionary knowledge of the linguistic code (semantics) with their basic interpersonal communicative skills and sometimes unusual, not necessarily target language-based pragmatic strategies that suit them very well in their attempt to achieve their communicative goals.
A preliminary program for the INPRA Conference 2020 will be available in November.
On 2 December 2021, a Symposium on (Inter-)cultural perspectives on humour in the globalised world will take place at UQ.
If you are in Brisbane a day before the conference, you are more than welcome to join us.
For more information, please visit: https://languages-cultures.uq.edu.au/humour-symposium or email Dr Valeria Sinkeviciute (v.sinkeviciute@uq.edu.au).
Your accepted papers will automatically be included in the new list of the accepted presentations, and you do not need to do anything else at this time.
If you have already registered for the conference, your registration fee will be preserved. However, please let us know if you would like to be refunded. We will be issuing full refunds shortly, however, it may take several weeks for your funds to be processed and appear in your account.
Australian Government COVID-19 travel restrictions and information for visa holders
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International flights from Brisbane
Easily accessible, Brisbane is serviced by one of Australia's fastest growing airports with a network of direct flights from 31 international and 50 domestic destinations. As the closest eastern seaboard capital city to Asia, Brisbane offers frequent flights to various Asia Pacific destinations and is a transfer hub from major European destinations. Direct flights arrive several times a day from Asia, the United States, New Zealand, the Pacific and the Middle East.
Brisbane International Airport boasts an extensive network of direct flights to international destinations including but not limited to:
- Singapore
- Hong Kong
- Bangkok
- Shanghai
- Auckland
- Dubai
- Los Angeles
- Vancouver
This allows easy access for international delegates to travel home.
Brisbane city remains compact and well connected, allowing delegates to easily travel between venues, hotels, parklands, cultural attractions, entertainment precincts and dining locations.
The University of Queensland
Located just seven kilometres from Brisbane's city centre (accessible by car or public transport), UQ St Lucia is renowned as one of Australia's most attractive university campuses.
Accommodation Recommendations - Arriving and getting around Brisbane
During your stay in Brisbane for the INPRA Conference 2021, we recommend you choose accommodation in the South Bank precinct or Brisbane CBD. There are few accommodation options close to the UQ St Lucia campus, and there is so much more to see and do in the CBD and South Brisbane during your free time. These locations will also be most convenient for those attending the conference welcome reception and dinner.
Accommodation options in both areas are many and varied, and both locations have easy access to City Cat ferry terminals and bus networks with direct routes servicing The University of Queensland. If using public transport to travel to UQ campus for the academic program, we recommend that you select accommodation close to either the North Quay or South Bank City Cat terminal, or Cultural Centre or King George Square Bus Station (indicated by maroon markers on map). Central and South Brisbane train stations are serviced by the AirTrain, which is a direct service from Brisbane International and Domestic Airport.
All delegates will be need to obtain a GoCard upon arrival in Brisbane for travel on all local buses, ferries and trains (not valid on AirTrain). There are many accommodation options available from 5 Star hotels to private rentals to backpacker hostels, and everything in between. Some suggestions (all within 1km, or less than around a 10 minute walk to bus station or ferry terminal) are listed below.
Special Accommodation Offers in South Bank, Brisbane
To give our INPRA 2020 delegates the best experience in the heart of Brisbane city, indicative rates have been sourced from the following hotels based in South Bank offering a great location to restaurants, bars and tourist attractions all within easy public transport access to the UQ St Lucia Campus. We have secured special rates at some of these hotels for INPRA 2020 delegates with promotional codes available for the below locations:
| Star Rating | Property | Room Types |
Rate (AUD per night) |
Promotional Code |
| 5 Star |
Vista Suite |
From $239* | TBA | |
| River City Suite | From $309* | TBA | ||
|
4 - 4.5 Star |
Superior / Superior Twin | From $199* | TBA | |
| Superior River View | From $219* | TBA | ||
| Mantra South Bank Brisbane | Hotel | From $139* | TBA | |
| Studio | From $159* | TBA |
*Rates are per room, per night and indicative for June 2020. The above properties reserve the right to review rates closer to the event dates. Should a major event occur in the city during the conference dates, properties reserve the right to implement a surcharge.