10-26-98
										
LANGUAGE CONFLICTS THE FOCUS OF OHIO STATE CONFERENCE

	COLUMBUS -- Issues such as the controversy over “English 
only” laws, clashes between speakers of different languages and 
the use of English on the Internet will be among the topics 
discussed at a conference next month at The Ohio State 
University.

	The conference, to be held Nov. 13 to 15, is titled “When 
Languages Collide: Sociocultural and Geopolitical Implications of 
Language Conflict and Language Coexistence.”

	“The use of language involves social, cultural and political 
issues,” said Brian Joseph, organizer of the conference and 
professor of linguistics at Ohio State.

	“As technology brings the world closer together, it also 
creates more opportunity for conflicts between different 
languages.”
	
	The conference will feature 40 presenters from around the 
world who will discuss new research and relevant issues.  Some of 
the presentations include:

  Linguistic conflict in the U.S. workplace
  When languages collide: the official language debate
  How changes in the worklife of Old Order Amish in Ohio and 
Pennsylvania threaten the existence of Pennsylvania German
  How the status of English will change in Hong Kong under 
Chinese rule

	The plenary speaker will be Joshua Fishman of Stanford 
University, who will speak on “Languages New to Literacy: 
Competition for a ‘Place in the Sun’ on a Crowded Beach.”

	The keynote speaker will be Lachman Kubchandani, of the 
Center for Communication Studies in Pune, India.  He will speak 
on “Language Harmony and Language Collision: Challenges of 
Linguistic Diversity in the ‘Developing’ World.”

	The conference is sponsored by Ohio State’s African Studies 
Center, Center for Slavic and East European Studies, Department 
of Linguistics, East Asian Studies Center, Middle East Studies 
Center, Office of International Studies and West European Studies 
Center.  The conference was made possible by funds from the U.S. 
Department of Education.

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Contact:  Brian Joseph, (614) 292-4052

NOTE TO MEDIA:  Reporters are welcome to cover the conference.  
For copies of the conference program, abstracts of the 
presentations, or other information about covering the 
conference, please contact Jeff Grabmeier, University 
Communications, at (614) 292-8457.