Full Title: Voces 2021. Latin Middle Ages through Key Words
Short Title: Voces21

Date: 29-Sep-2021 – 30-Sep-2021
Location: Campus Condorcet, Paris-Aubervilliers (hybrid or fully online), France
Contact Person: Bruno Bon
Meeting Email: < click here to access email >
Web Site: https://glossaria.eu/voces

Linguistic Field(s): Historical Linguistics; Lexicography

Subject Language(s): Latin

Call Deadline: 15-May-2021

Meeting Description:

The conference aims to take a closer look at Latin words that have played an important role in the medieval culture. Every two year we propose to focus on a different major medieval concept and its linguistic expressions. We wish to bring together scholars coming from various disciplines and backgrounds who study medieval vocabulary in a wider context of social (religious, political etc.) practices and individual experience.

The conference is jointly organized by the IRHT CNRS and the Institute of Polish Language (PAS).

Call for Papers:

Topic: Feast, Holiday, Celebration

Feasts deeply structured social and private life of medieval people. The recurring religious holidays reminded believers of their relationship to the Absolute and gave meaning to the medieval sense of time. Private celebrations, limited to friends and family, were used to underline the events of people’s lives. Public holidays, on the other hand, created and sustained social coherence, by highlighting common values and cultural norms that are usually implicit.

Topics may include but are not limited to:
1. The concepts of FEAST, CELEBRATION and HOLIDAY and their linguistic representation:
– Medieval Latin vs. vernacular languages,
– the metaphors of FEASTING and CELEBRATION.
2. Religious life: the vocabulary of Church holidays, ceremonies, saints day.
3. Individual experience of FEAST and language.
4. Celebration as social and linguistic practice.
5. Theoretical issues in historical semantics:
– Latin vocabulary and categories of medieval thought: a simple link?
– lexical borrowing and semantic change;
– medieval Latin and individuals: cognition, experience, emotions;
– scientific vs. folk knowledge;
– negotiating meaning in interpretative communities.

Abstract submission:
Abstracts should be submitted via EasyChair (https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=voces21) by15 May 2021 (23:59 CEST):
– long papers: 500 words (without references),
– short papers: 250 words (without references).

Full CfP (in English): https://glossaria.eu/sources/voces/Voces21_CfP_EN.pdf
Full CfP (in French): https://glossaria.eu/sources/voces/Voces21_CfP_FR.pdf