CERLIS2025

We are pleased to announce a call for abstracts for the CERLIS conference on "Metaphors in Specialized Discourse In and Across Cultures" (sponsored by the Italian Association for the Study of English - AIA).

This interdisciplinary conference aims to explore the intricate and multifaceted roles that metaphors play in specialized forms of discourse, encompassing scientific, technical, medical, legal, business, media, and political communication, across diverse cultural contexts.

As claimed by Semino (2008), metaphors are varied in their textual appearance, versatile in the functions they may perform, and central to many different types of communication, from informal interaction to political speeches. In this regard, Kövecses’ research (2005; 2008) on universality and variation in the use of metaphor has raised the question of whether and to what extent metaphorical thinking can contribute to the understanding of culture and society, and whether cognitive theories can account for both the universality and cultural specificity of metaphorical conceptualisation.

The conference will contribute to these themes by exploring metaphors as devices for understanding specialised fields of knowledge and research from various perspectives. Hence, we particularly welcome proposals focusing on new insights regarding how metaphors in specialized discourse vary across different languages and what these differences reveal about cultural cognition. Furthermore, we aim at understanding how metaphors facilitate complex specialized concepts and drive innovation and how cultural values and norms shape metaphor usage and interpretation in specialized discourse.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

Theoretical Approaches to Metaphor in Specialized Discourse

Metaphors in Specialised Communication

Metaphors in knowledge dissemination and popularization

Metaphors in Business, Legal, Medical, and Tourism Discourse(s)

Metaphors in Media and Political Discourse

Cultural and Intercultural Perspectives on Metaphor

We invite scholars and researchers to submit abstracts that address any of the above themes. Abstracts (300 words) should be uploaded on the easyabs platform (https://easyabs.linguistlist.org/submit/CERLIS2025/) and include the following:

• Title of the paper

• Author(s) name(s) and affiliation(s)

• Contact details (email and phone number)

• A brief bio (100-150 words)

Zsofia Demien (UCL)

Maria Luque Olalla Colmenero (Universidad de Granada)

Zoltán Kövecses (Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest)

Michele Prandi (University of Genova)

Gerard Steen (Amsterdam University)
Günter Schmale (Université Jean Moulin Lyon 3)

Irma Taavistainen (University of Helsinki)

Registration fees are payable online only.

Details for payment will be uploaded in October 2024

Conference fee

Early registration (February 1st – March 14th)     210 EUR

Regular registration (March 15th – April 30th) 240 EUR

Late registration (May 1st – June 4th) 270 EUR

PhD candidate registration 180 EUR

Important Dates:

• Abstract Submission Deadline: 31 December 2024

• Notification of Acceptance: 31 January 2024

• Conference Dates: 12-14 June 2025

Stefania Maci

Cinzia Spinzi

Zsofia Demien (UCL)

Maria Luque Olalla Colmenero (Universidad de Granada)

Zoltán Kövecses (Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest)

Michele Prandi (University of Genova)

Gerard Steen (Amsterdam University)
Günter Schmale (Université Jean Moulin Lyon 3)

Irma Taavistainen (University of Helsinki)

Stefania Maci

Cinzia Spinzi

Valentina Adami

Patrizia Anesa

Larissa D’Angelo

Stefania Consonni

Michele Sala

Luisa Chierichetti

Giovanni Garofalo

Dorothee Heller

Gabriella Carrobbio

Manuela Moroni

Danio Maldussi

Michela Tonti

Liana Goletiani 

For any inquiries, please contact the conference organizing committee at cerlis@unibg.it Special requests should be sent to stefania.maci@unibg.it and cinziagiacinta.spinzi@unibg.it

We look forward to receiving your submissions and to a stimulating exchange of ideas at the conference.

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#Cerlis2025