Call for papers

The Society for Pidgin and Creole Linguistics will hold its annual summer meeting from June 28 to June 30, 2021.  Due to the ongoing uncertainty regarding the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 SPCL summer meeting will take place online. Abstracts on the phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, lexicon, or any other issue pertaining to the linguistic study of Pidgins, Creoles and other contact varieties are invited for anonymous review.

An abstract of approximately 500 words should be submitted using EasyAbs. The link is http://linguistlist.org/easyabs/SPCL-CNRS2021 . After your title, clearly identify the area in which your submission should be reviewed (e.g. morphology, sociolinguistics). Please do not include your name or other revelatory information in the abstract. Individuals who are unable to access EasyAbs should email their abstract as an MS Word document to spclsociety@gmail.com. Include "SPCL-CNRS Abstract" in the subject line.

Abstract submission deadline is March 15, 2021. Acceptance notification will be sent by May 1, 2021.

Organization of the Abstract

Many abstracts are rejected because they omit crucial information rather than because of errors in what they include. A suggested outline for abstracts follows: 

1. Choose a title that clearly indicates the topic of the paper and is no more than one line long;

2. In the abstract, state the topic clearly;

3. Make reference to prior work on the topic;

4. When essential to the clarity of the argumentation, present linguistic data (with glosses). Explain abbreviations at their first occurrence;

5. If the paper presents the results of experiments, but the collection of results is not yet complete, present the provisional results in detail. Also indicate the nature of the experimental design and the specific hypothesis tested;

6. State the relevance of your hypothesis to past work. Describe the analysis in as much detail as possible. Avoid vague or unsubstantiated statements;

7. State the contribution to linguistic research made by the analysis;

8. Citation of the relevant literature is essential within the abstract; however, the inclusion of a list of references at the end of the abstract is not obligatory. 

Assessment of Abstracts

Abstracts will be assessed on the basis of the following three criteria: 

1. The relevance and significance of the proposed topic and/or the originality of the study. 

2. The argumentation (including the clarity of the argument and the results/conclusions). 

3. Knowledge of the relevant research literature and theory.