Interface Phenomena Across Languages: Structure, Variation, and Contact, 21-23 October 2026, University of Cyprus, Nicosia

Adopting a cross-linguistic and interdisciplinary perspective, the conference aims to foster dialogue between formal, typological, functional, and usage-based frameworks, highlighting both shared principles and cross-linguistic variation in interface phenomena. The conference welcomes submissions from all theoretical traditions and applied perspectives, employing diverse methodologies, and particularly encourages research on spoken, signed, minority, and under-documented languages. It further provides a forum for scholarly exchange on research addressing interfaces which include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Prosody–syntax–information structure interfaces, including focus marking, topic structure, prosodic phrasing, and word order variation in a cross-linguistic perspective
• Interfaces between syntax, discourse, and acquisition, especially in bilingual, multilingual, and heritage language grammar
• Morphological and syntactic variation in bilingual and multilingual settings, including agreement, case, and the restructuring of grammatical systems under contact
• Interface phenomena in language contact situations, including transfer, convergence, borrowing, code-switching, and the emergence of contact-induced grammatical patterns
• The role of language experience, processing, and use in shaping interface phenomena across speakers and communities
• Grammatical interfaces in cultural and social context, including variation, change, and identity-related language practices.

Abstracts must be anonymous and no longer than 300 words (excluding references). Submissions should clearly articulate the research problem and question, theoretical background and data sources as well as main findings or expected results.

Please send your abstract to: grammarinterfaces@yahoo.com

The following plenary speakers have confirmed their participation:

• Stavros Skopeteas (Georg-August University of Göttingen)
• Ayşe Gürel (Boğaziçi University)
• Fatih Bayram (Lancaster University)

Conference Format

The conference will include invited keynote lectures, thematic paper sessions, workshops and panels. 

Abstract proposal types

• Research Paper Presentation  This type comprises papers on completed or ongoing research that aligns with the conference’s theme and subtopics. The abstract must be presented in the following format: title, research background, methodology, results, and conclusion.

• Symposium   The symposium is a session in which up to 5 research presentations on the same topic will be delivered over 90 minutes. The symposium proposer will invite both the contributors to participate, and a discussant who will give constructive and critical feedback on the presentations made. The abstract for the symposium should adhere to the following format: the title, the background, and your motivation to organise the symposium (i.e., the background research, the existing gaps, and the research question), and the description of your plan for running the symposium, including the names of the presenters and a brief overview of their themes.

• Panel Discussion The panel discussion will comprise a 90-minute discussion on a specific research topic. The proposer of the panel discussion will invite the panel participants to share their different views on the topic, thus facilitating the exploration of new perspectives in a less formal manner. Abstracts for the panel discussion should adhere to the following format: the title, the goal(s) of the panel discussion, the relevant background information and context, the motivation to organise the panel discussion (i.e. the background research, the existing gaps, and the research question), and a description of how the panel discussion will be run, including the names of the panelists and an outline of the key discussion points that will be addressed.

• Language Teaching Best Practices We are providing scholars, education professionals, and language teachers with the opportunity to share the innovations, approaches, and strategies they used in the exploration of the conference’s themes and topics. We plan to integrate the accepted proposals into 90-minutes sessions of up to 5 individual presentations. The abstract for this type should align with the following format: the title, the background research and your motivation to present your best practices, a discussion of what you wish to achieve or have already achieved in the use of this approach, a clear description of your best practice, the methods or methodological framework, the implementation of your best practice, the resources needed, the data obtained, and the demand for this approach.

• Workshop  Proposals for workshops that centre around the conference theme and its sub-topics are also being requested. The proposals should delineate the adoption of a hands-on approach, with those that are accepted being conducted in 90-minute sessions. The workshop proposer will be responsible for organising the workshop. The workshop proposal should adhere to the following format: the title, the background information, and your motivation for running the workshop, and the potential audience. You also need to detail your structured plan of how the workshop will be run and your expectations of the target participants.

Important Dates

• Abstract Submission Deadline: 20 April 2026
• Notification of Acceptance: 3 May 2026
• Conference Dates: 21–23 October 2026
• Conference Location: Nicosia, Cyprus

Organisation and Contact

Organised by the Department of Turkish and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Cyprus

For further questions, please contact: gulshen.sakhatova@ucy.ac.cy