International University of Sarajevo (IUS) recently hosted the 7th International Pedagogic and Linguistic ERL Conference entitled ‘Educational Role of Language – LINKS BETWEEN BELIEFS AND LANGUAGE. The event was organized under the premises of and in cooperation with the Educational Role of Language Network, a group gathering specialists of educational and linguistic sciences, and partially sponsored by the Ministry of Science, Higher Education, and Youth of Sarajevo Canton. It was preceded by an informal pre-conference meeting encouraging networking, as well as other mid- and post-conference additions accompanying the conference proper.
The conference itself can be described through the following features, which also reflect what the entire ERL Framework and its mission are all about:
- Specified direction and structure: the 7th ERL Conference in Sarajevo focused on linguistic beliefs in accordance with the ERL Trajectory, whereby the linguistic affect was addressed at the 6th ERL Conference at the University of Ulm and will be followed next year by addressing the link between language and actions at the 8th ERL Conference in Novi Sad next year. At the International University of Sarajevo linguistic beliefs were “filtered” through sociolinguistic, cultural, literary, semantic, instructional, personal, and interpersonal lenses, with the host of the event, Dr. Ervin Kovačević, connecting the dots in his plenary talk addressing language complexity, proficiency, and learning mindsets.
- Intercultural Exchange: reflecting the conference theme, a wide array of linguistic beliefs was represented, bringing together individuals from diverse backgrounds. Among the participants were Jens Skarkerud Haugan from Norway (Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences), keynote speakers Ana Maria Ferreira Barcellos from Brazil (Federal University of Viçosa), Andre Kurowski from England (University of Chichester), Mart Rannut from Estonia (University of Tartu), and Sameena Malik from Italy (University of Bologna), as well as ERL Founder Michał Daszkiewicz from Poland (University of Gdańsk).
- Complementary perspectives: the conference provided room for juxtapositions on various levels, including that of (a) experience and age, with the extensive command of the field(s) being complemented and enriched by the freshness and open-mindedness of younger researchers (be it IUS’ Ajla Pervan, PhD candidate who moderated the plenary session, Tekla Gabunia from Georgia (Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University) – who belonged to the most active participants throughout the event; (b) the format of the conference components, with keynote talks being accompanied by group sessions and a workshop on the early morning of the second day of the conference (run Leah Davcheva from Bulgaria (AHA Moments).
- Interdisciplinary cooperation: the conference offered room for the participants’ joint work following the event, particularly around the ERL’s yearly focus – language & beliefs, as exemplified in the conference’s new annual block designated for ERL Project Calls in the presentation on the positioning of spoken language (by students, teachers, and educational systems) across different countries.
Additionally, the 7th ERL Conference at IUS represented a significant milestone in the evolution of the entire ERL Framework. This conference introduced the ERL Group, an extension designed for institutions, in contrast to the ERL Association, which brings together individual theoreticians and practitioners. This event is poised to be a breakthrough in the ERL mission of enhancing the educational status of language. Those who recognize the key role of language are encouraged to attend future ERL Conferences, have their institutions join and support the ERL Group, and become ERL Partners.
