The School of English of the University of Hong Kong (HKU) is hosting a major international conference ‘The Sociolinguistics of Globalization: (De)centring and (de)standardization’, from June 3 to 6, 2015. Over 400 delegates from 43 countries will participate in the four-day conference which features five plenary speakers, eight invited panels and 55 thematic parallel sessions.

The conference will be officially opened by HKU President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Peter Mathieson and the Dean of Arts Professor Douglas Kerr. Plenary speakers include Professor Nikolas Coupland of Copenhagen University, Professor Christopher Hutton of HKU, Professor Michelle Lazar of the National University of Singapore, Professor Christopher Stroud of the University of the Western Cape and Professor Kathryn Woolard of the University of California, San Diego.

As a leading centre for research in Sociolinguistics, Discourse Analysis and Applied Linguistics, Hong Kong has been a regular meeting place for language and communication researchers for several decades. This conference aims to continue this tradition by offering a platform for continued dialogue over two fundamental and interrelated questions: How are we to continue theorizing language and communication under globalization? How can sociolinguistic theory shed new light on our understanding of globalization?

Presentations will encompass diverse topics and issues including multilingualism and diversity, minorities, the commodification of language and culture, identity, postfeminism, workplace communication, language in the media, hiphop culture, and LGBTIQ.

Details of the Opening Ceremony are as follows:
Date: June 3, 2015 (Wednesday)
Time: 4:30 pm
Main Venue: Grand Hall, Lee Shau Kee Lecture Centre, HKU

Programme Website: http://sociolinguistics-globalization-hk2015.com/

Members of the media are cordially invited to cover the event. Please contact Mr Cyrus Chan, Events Coordinator, Faculty of Arts (tel: 3917 4984 email: cyrusc@hku.hk) to reserve a seat.