FEAST 2015 Barcelona
The fourth edition of the ‘Formal and Experimental Advances in Sign Language Theory’ (FEAST) conference will take place at Pompeu Fabra University (Barcelona) on May 4-6, 2015. FEAST is the conference of the COST Action IS1006 ‘Unraveling the grammars of European sign languages: pathways to full citizenship of deaf signers and to the protection of their linguistic heritage’. For information about this COST Action visit: signgram.eu.
FEAST is a regular forum to discuss formal approaches to sign language grammar (in particular in the generative tradition), experimental approaches to sign languages, and their interaction.
The keynote speakers at the main session (May 4-5) of the FEAST 2015 Barcelona will be:
- Diane Lillo-Martin (University of Connecticut, USA)
- Philippe Schlenker (Institut Jean Nicod, ENS-Paris/New York University)
On May 6 there will be an outreach session featuring a presentation of the final product of the Action (The SignGram Blueprint, a guide to the preparation of comprehensive reference grammars for sign languages) and a discussion panel on the impact of linguistic research for sign language communities and Deaf signers (education, interpretation, acquisition, language deficits, language policies). This session will be attended by different stakeholders, such as representatives of Deaf communities, associations of sign language interpreters, and language policy-makers.
The speakers at the outreach session will be:
- Benjamin Bahan (Gallaudet University, USA)
- Diane Lillo-Martin (University of Connecticut, USA)
- Josep Quer (ICREA-Universitat Pompeu Fabra) & Carlo Cecchetto (Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca)
- Christian Rathmann (Universität Hamburg)
- Bencie Woll (DCAL, University College of London)
The languages of the conference will be English and ASL/IS. Interpreting between ASL/IS and English will be provided.
Registration for the conference is free of charge, but if you are not a member of the COST Action, you must send an email to the conference address to tell us you intend to attend. Signing an attendance sheet during the conference is required.
Contact: feast.conference@gmail.com
FEAST will be broadcast in streaming at: http://www.upf.edu/retransmissions/feastconference.html
The conference will be followed by the COST SignGram Summer School 2015 Barcelona, which addresses theoretical and experimental issues in sign language linguistics and research. This summer school is open to master students, graduate students or junior researchers who already have familiarity with sign language research but are not trained in formal linguistics and to students at the same level who are trained in formal linguistics but are not yet familiar with sign language linguistics.
We gratefully acknowledge the financial support received for the organization of this event from the following institutions:
COST Action SignGram IS1006
ERC Advanced Grant 'New Frontiers of Formal Semantics' (Philippe Schlenker, Institut Jean Nicod, PARIS)
Departament de Traducció i Ciències del Llenguatge, Universitat Pompeu Fabra
