About
This workshop aims to bring together research focusing on German as a contact language. We welcome contributions focusing on various linguistic aspects and involving German as a contact language across diverse sociolinguistic settings and in interaction with a wide range of contact languages.
The workshop seeks to foster dialogue between theoretical and empirical approaches to language contact, with particular emphasis on developmental perspectives. We are especially interested in studies that explore how different types of language acquisition shape linguistic outcomes in contact contexts, including (but not limited to) heritage speakers, returnees, simultaneous and sequential bilinguals, L2 learners, and multilingual speakers.
Topics & questions
We invite papers addressing, among others, the following questions:
- Which linguistic phenomena of German are particularly vulnerable to contact-induced change?
- Which linguistic phenomena of German display stability across contact settings?
- How do developmental trajectories differ across acquisition types?
- What do contact settings reveal about the architecture of grammar and the limits of variation?
We welcome contributions employing experimental, corpus-based, longitudinal, comparative, or theoretical approaches.
Keynote speakers
- Aldona Sopata (Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland)
- Nadine Kolb (University of Stavanger, Norway)
Abstract submission
- Abstract length: max. 500 words (excluding references and tables/graphs).
- Presentation format: 20-minute oral presentation + 10 minutes discussion, or Poster presentation.
- Working languages: English or German.
- Submission: link
Important dates
- Submission deadline: 15 April 2026
- Notification of acceptance: 15 May 2026
- Registration deadline: 15 June 2026
- Workshop dates: 29–30 June 2026
The workshop will provide an opportunity for in-depth discussion in a focused and collaborative academic setting.
Registration
Registration fee
| Category | Fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Normal fee | 70€ |
Free for students/researchers from the University of Minho and the University of Frankfurt. The fee includes coffee-breaks. |
| Students | 35€ |
Programme
To be announced
Venue
The workshop will take place at the University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar (Braga, Portugal).
Organizers
- Cristina Flores (University of Minho)
- Duarte Oliveira (University of Minho)
- Esther Rinke (Goethe-Universität Frankfurt)
Contact
Cristina Flores: cflores@elach.uminho.pt
Duarte Oliveira: doliveira@elach.uminho.pt
Esther Rinke: Esther.Rinke@em.uni-frankfurt.de