Posted on 11 July 2020
New Plans announced for SCL2020
NEWSLETTER:
We hope that you have all been staying safe during this time and have started to ease back into some sense of normalcy by now.
As a follow up to the previous newsletter, the SCL Executive would like to inform you of our plans for the week of 2-7 August 2020, the original date for SCL2020.
No in-person conference: Given the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the unlikelihood that universities would be willing to fund non-essential international travel at this time, we will sadly have to forego any face to face gatherings for the remainder of this year. Our next scheduled conference in 2022, our 50th anniversary, will be the next opportunity for us to meet as a Society. There is a good chance this staging of the conference will be in St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago, since the Local Organizing Committee there is already set up and has been putting plans in place for the conference.
Publication opportunities: For persons who are interested in publishing the paper they had intended to present at the 2020 conference with the SCL there are two possibilities: (1) your paper could be published as a part of the Society’s Occasional Papers series or (2) your paper could be published as a chapter in a special themed volume based on a linguistics sub-area. This would appear in the Society’s “Studies in Caribbean Languages” series of the Language Science Press. These options are available only to members who have already submitted an abstract and have had it accepted. The Publications Officer will have more information about these opportunities.
Virtual event in August: After much deliberation and feedback from a few members, the executive is in the process of putting together a Virtual Celebration of Caribbean Languages. This will take place over the course of 1-2 days during the same time the conference would have been held. This is not a "virtual conference" where members will be presenting papers. More details about this will be forthcoming close to the date.
Current executive committee: Given that we will not be able to have our Biennial General Meeting (BGM) this year - during which we would’ve had our election of officers - there will be no elections until the staging of the next conference. The current executive committee has agreed to stay in their present portfolios and will continue to serve the SCL until the next schedule BGM in 2022.
The Executive Committee would like to thank those of you who have voiced your interest in a virtual event in lieu of this year's conference. Though the circumstances prevent us from having our in-person conference, it should not bring our interaction as Caribbean language enthusiasts to a screeching halt. If you haven't visited the SCL Facebook page, considering doing so and keep in touch with us and your fellow SCL members. All the best, and we look forward to engaging with you virtually in the weeks ahead!
