All presentations and discussions will be conducted in English. All abstracts must be written in English. We invite abstracts for (A) oral presentations (each a 20-minute talk plus a 10-minute discussion period), (B) poster presentations , and (C) proposals for workshops (presentations and discussion for approximately two hours) in the following areas of linguistics:

1) phonetics and phonology, 2) morphology and lexicology, 3) syntax, 4) semantics, 5) pragmatics and discourse analysis, 6) historical linguistics, 7) corpus linguistics and descriptive grammar, 8) cognitive linguistics, 9) sociolinguistics, 10) psycholinguistics, 11) neurolinguistics, 12) other fields.

An individual may submit a maximum of two papers, but can be the first author of only one of them (Papers for a workshop are excluded from this count). No changes in the title or authors are allowed after the abstracts or workshop proposals have been submitted. Orally presented papers may be published in JELS. Note that, to submit a paper to JELS, the author, or one author in the case of joint research, must be a member of the English Linguistic Society of Japan. Please see the Guidelines for Submission of Abstracts and Workshop Proposals for the ELSJ International Spring Forum below.

Important Dates for the ELSJ 17th International Spring Forum

Forum Dates: Saturday, May 25 – Sunday, May 26, 2024

Abstract/Proposal Submission Deadline: 11:59PM, December 1→8, 2023 (JST)

Notification of Acceptance: Authors will be notified on or after January 19, 2024

ELSJ Best Paper Award for the ELSJ 17th International Spring Forum

Presenters who wish to apply for this award must be ELSJ members as of March 31 of the year previous to the academic year when the forum is held. In the case of joint research, at least one presenter must be an ELSJ member as of the aforementioned date. Please see below for more details:

Guidelines for Submission of Abstracts and Workshop Proposals
for the ELSJ International Spring Forum

Last revised August 2022

1. Papers should be concerned with descriptive or theoretical studies of English (synchronic or diachronic), general linguistic theories, or the comparison of English with other languages (especially Japanese). The area(s) of linguistics addressed by the papers should be on the list in section 5 below.
2. Only work which will remain unpublished at the time of the presentation may be submitted. Papers concurrently submitted to other conferences, English Linguistics or other journals, or books of any kind will not be considered.
3. Using a 12-point font on A4 or letter-size paper, the maximum length of an abstract is two pages and that of a workshop proposal three pages, including references, tree diagrams, and tables. The width of margins is 1 inch all around. All material must be included in a single PDF file. For the title of the abstract, capitalize the first letter of every content word. Also capitalize the first letter of both parts of the hyphenated word (ex. South-East) and the first letter of the words after the colon.
4. Abstracts/workshop proposals should include the title of the paper or workshop at the top of the first page, but they must not include the name(s) of the author(s) or organizer(s) or any information that identifies them.
5. To ensure proper review, applicants are also asked to specify the area(s) of linguistics addressed by the abstract or proposal by including one or two items from the following list in the field entitled ‘Keywords’ of the EasyChair submission link: 1) phonetics and phonology, 2) morphology and lexicology, 3) syntax, 4) semantics, 5) pragmatics and discourse analysis, 6) historical linguistics, 7) corpus linguistics and descriptive grammar, 8) cognitive linguistics, 9) sociolinguistics, 10) psycholinguistics, 11) neurolinguistics, 12) other fields.
6. Abstracts and workshop proposals must be submitted electronically in pdf format with “file creator” property unspecified through https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=sf17 by 11:59PM, Friday, December 1→8, 2023 (JST). Please indicate keywords for your submission and your preference for oral, poster, or workshop sessions in the field entitled “Keywords” of the EasyChair submission link.
7. Applicants/Presenters must abide by the Guidelines for Deterring Misconduct in Research Activities of the ELSJ. If misconduct is identified, article 3 of the Guidelines applies.
8. Application for the ELSJ Best Paper Award is open only to those who are ELSJ members as of March 31 of the year previous to the academic year when the Forum is held. In the case of joint research, at least one presenter must be an ELSJ member as of the aforementioned date. Besides meeting this membership condition, those who are without a master’s degree or whose research experience does not exceed 10 years since the completion of their master’s or pre-doctoral program as of the aforementioned date are also considered eligible candidates for an Honorable Mention second to the Best Paper Award (in the case of joint research, at least one presenter must be an ELSJ member as of the aforementioned date and all the presenters must satisfy one of the following conditions: (i) they do not have a master’s degree; (ii) their research experience does not exceed 10 years since the time noted above as of the aforementioned date). Those who wish to apply for these awards are required to include the phrase “Best Paper Award Applicant” in the field entitled “Abstract” of the EasyChair submission link; the applicants must include the name of their present graduate school and/or the date of completion of their master’s program in the same field if they qualify as eligible candidates for an Honorable Mention second to the Best Paper Award.