MEDAL Conference: New challenges, novel approaches

Motivation for both the MEDAL project and this conference stems from the enormous advances made in linguistics through becoming a more empirically based discipline. This has been made possible through the development of increasingly sophisticated methods, improved accessibility of resources and shared findings. Research using corpus linguistics, experimental linguistics, and computational modelling has furthered our understanding of language use, acquisition and processing. A combined approach drawing insights from more than one method, including less studied languages, improves the robustness of findings. 

The MEDAL consortium is funded by the European Union & UKRI (101079429), led by the University of Tartu (Estonia) in collaboration with Radboud University and the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics (the Netherlands) and the University of Birmingham (the UK). The final conference will showcase the diversity of research that has benefitted from the training and mentoring opportunities in MEDAL and bring together researchers from beyond the consortium interested in advancing discussion about methods and results in data-driven linguistics. The scientific committee will give preference to research based on multiple methods and submissions by early-career researchers. We also encourage submissions of replications and research making use of Open Science, cross-linguistic research and the inclusion of less-researched languages.

Abstract Submission

Abstracts should be anonymous and may be up to 1 page in length, excluding references and figures, which can be added using one additional page. Abstracts should all be submitted via EasyChair. Talks will be 20 minutes, plus time for questions. Submissions are welcome from all fields of linguistics. If an early-career researcher (Master’s student, PhD candidate or researcher up to 7 years after PhD defense) will be presenting the talk, please add "ECR" as a keyword in the abstract submission form.

Invited speakers

• Balthasar Bickel (University of Zürich)
• Jennifer Culbertson (University of Edinburgh)
• Piia Taremaa (University of Tartu)

Venue

• The University of Tartu, Estonia

Timeline

• Abstract submission open: 15 January – 28 February 2025
• Decisions on abstracts: 15 April 2025
• Registration open: 15 April - 8 September 2025
• Conference: 9-10 October 2025

Submit abstract here

Scientific Committee

• Asli Özyürek, Radboud University
• Caroline Rowland, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics
• Dagmar Divjak, University of Birmingham
• Eva-Liina Asu-Garcia, University of Tartu
• Hatice Zora, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics
• Izabela Jordanoska, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics
• Joshua Wilbur, University of Tartu
• Judith Holler, Radboud University
• Justyna Mackiewicz, University of Birmingham
• Kaidi Lõo, University of Tartu
• Liina Lindström, University of Tartu
• Maarja-Liisa Pilvik, University of Tartu
• Mari Aigro, University of Tartu
• Petar Milin, University of Birmingham
• Piia Taremaa, University of Tartu
• Pärtel Lippus, University of Tartu
• Sevilay Sengül, Radboud University
• Taavi Vanaveski, University of Tartu
• Virve-Anneli Vihman, University of Tartu

Organised by the Institute of Estonian and General Linguistics at the University of Tartu with the MEDAL Consortium

The MEDAL consortium is funded by the European Union & UKRI (both project number 101079429), led by the University of Tartu (Estonia) in collaboration with Radboud University and the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics (the Netherlands) and the University of Birmingham (the United Kingdom).