Conference dates: 26-28 November 2025

Hosted on behalf of Rhodes University, Makhanda, South Africa

The Department of Linguistics and Applied Language Studies at Rhodes University is proud to host the 13th Southern African Microlinguistics Workshop (SAMWOP-13) from Wednesday 26th November to Friday 28th November 2025.

Preliminary schedule coming soon!

Venue details:

The conference will take place at Indigo Crest events & accommodation, located on R67 between Makhanda and Bathurst. The exact location is planet.stiffen.nobles, approximately ~25 km from Makhanda and ~160 km from Chief Dawid Stuurman airport (PLZ) in Gqeberha. 

Accommodation

Parking for conference visitors is free. Driving from Makhanda takes ~30 minutes, and driving from Bathurst takes ≤20 minutes. Both Makhanda and Bathurst have ample guesthouses and other accommodation options.

A limited amount of accommodation is available on site at the venue, and can be booked through the facebook page linked here. A few other nearby accommodation options are listed below for convenience.

• The Farm, Bathurst

• Three Valleys

• Iyana guest house

• Kingston Farm

Meeting Description:

SAMWOP is an annual event that brings together linguists working in the area of Southern African microlinguistics (broadly defined as linguistics which focuses on the structure of language as opposed to, for example, its sociological or educational role in society). This includes researchers based in Southern Africa working in various areas of theoretical and general linguistics, including phonetics, phonology, morphology and syntax, as well as those based elsewhere working on e.g. South African Bantu languages, Afrikaans and Khoisan languages, as well as other African languages, particularly from neighbouring countries.

SAMWOP provides an opportunity for longer presentations and in‐depth discussion, with no parallel sessions and with both 60min and 30min slots available (the latter being earmarked for students). The workshop fosters a friendly and collaborative atmosphere with a flexible setup and room for informal discussion. SAMWOP is an important forum for research and networking, especially for junior researchers and students. There is no conference fee.

Call for papers:

We invite abstracts for long presentations (40-minute talks followed by 20 minutes of discussion) and also for short presentations (20-minute talks followed by 10 minutes of discussion, earmarked for students) on any aspect of the phonetics, phonology, morphology, and/or syntax of one or more southern African language(s).

A special issue of Stellenbosch Papers in Linguistics Plus (SPiL Plus) is typically published following each SAMWOP event, and attendees will be encouraged to submit their papers.

Abstract guidelines & submission:

Abstracts should not exceed 500 words (with ≥2.5cm margins on all sides and a font size of 12pt). This includes data and references. Each author may submit no more than one single-authored and one co-authored abstract, or two co-authored ones. Abstracts must be anonymous. Submissions should be submitted via EasyAbs https://easyabs.linguistlist.org/conference/SAMWOP-13/  by 01 August 2025 at midnight (CAT).

Important dates:

Submission Deadline:  1 August 2025

Notice of acceptance: 30 August 2025

SAMWOP-12: 26-28 November 2024