Third annual LingYUFE meeting
3-4 September 2026
University of Antwerp – City Campus
On 3 September and the morning of 4 September 2026, the Department of Linguistics of the University of Antwerp is the proud host of the third annual meeting of the LingYUFE network. This collaborative network was established in 2024 and unites linguists across seven YUFE universities to advance research, teaching, and public engagement in language studies. Apart from offering ample networking opportunities, the annual meeting includes the following activities:
- Opportunities for junior (PhD and Postdoc) researchers from all LingYUFE institutions to present their work in the form of 5-minute pitches;
- Two keynote talks on language and change across the lifespan;
- A presentation of ongoing and envisaged LingYUFE collaborations;
- An interactive workshop on how to use GenAI in linguistics.
Program
Thursday 3 September - Location: SJ.022 (and SJ.024 for the steering committee meeting), University of Antwerp City Campus, Sint-Jacobsmarkt 13, 2000 Antwerpen
9:30 – 11:00: LingYUFE General meeting (for LingYUFE steering committee members only) (Room SJ.024)
11:00 – 11:30: Coffee break
11:30 – 11:35: Welcoming words
11:35 – 12:30: Keynote talk by Karen Roehr-Brackin (University of Essex): “Individual differences in additional language learning: Does age matter?”
12:30 – 14:00: Lunch break
14:00 – 16:30: Interactive workshop: on “Using AI in linguistics” (by Pieter Fivez – Textua)
17:00 – 19:00: Reception
From 19:00: Dinner (self-funded)
Friday 4 September - Location: SJ.022, University of Antwerp City Campus, Sint-Jacobsmarkt 13, 2000 Antwerpen
9:00 – 10:15: PhD/Postdoc pitches (see below)
10:15 – 10:45: Coffee break
10:45 – 11:45: Keynote talk by Peter Petré (UAntwerpen): “Is it only language that changes or do language users also change? … and so what if they do?”
11:45 – 13:00: Short presentation of current LingYUFE collaborations and launching new collaborations
13:00 – 14:00: Closing lunch (self-funded)
14:00 - …: Optional: separate meeting time for individual LingYUFE collaborators
All members of the LingYUFE network are cordially invited to this event, which will take place at the University of Antwerp City Campus, in the city center and close to the central train station of Antwerp. All activities take place in Room SJ.022 (Sint-Jacobsmarkt 13), except for the steering committee meeting, which will take place in the same building in room SJ.024. Participation is free, but registration is obligatory.
Contact:
For questions regarding the meeting or for late registration, please contact Astrid De Wit at astrid.dewit@uantwerp.be.
PhD/postdoc pitches:
PhD students and postdocs get the opportunity to briefly introduce their work in the form of five-minute pitches followed by three-minute question time. The following pitches have been scheduled:
- Alexander Van Herpe (University of Antwerp): Expanding the Dutch dative alternation
- Folajimi Oyebola (University of Bremen): The Dynamics of the Preposition System in African Englishes
- Temitayo Olatoye (University of Eastern Finland): Data-intensive research laboratory-DITLab
- Marie Dewulf (University of Antwerp & University of Ghent): Webcare through the eyes of the bystander: A cross-linguistic comparison of pragmatic-rhetorical features in hotel review-response interactions
- Ho Won Kim (Université Paris Sorbonne-Nouvelle): From Projection to Reporting? Modality and the Validation of Energy Transition Discourses in TotalEnergies Reports (2019–2025)
- Iryna Bazhutkina (University of Antwerp): Development of pragmatic competence in L2 German: The role of context and individual differences
- Idaliia Fedotova (University of Eastern Finland): Contact between structurally different languages: the case of Siberia
- Lara Baert (University of Antwerp): The digital literacy of seniors: The appropriation of interactive social media writing at an older age
LingYUFE collaborations:
We close our meeting with a brief presentation of ongoing and envisioned LingYUFE collaborations, where researchers will also have the opportunity to launch new ideas and calls for collaboration. The following ongoing collaborations will be presented:
- POLAR project – Luna De Bruyne (University of Antwerp), Georgeta Cislaru (Université Sorbonne-Nouvelle), Ho Won Kim (Université Sorbonne-Nouvelle), and Fabienne Baider (University of Cyprus)
- Corpus de français parlé – Emmanuelle Labeau (University of Antwerp with Université Sorbonne-Nouvelle)
- Prepositional system in Nigerian English – Temitayo Olatoye (University of Eastern Finland) and Folajimi Oyebola (University of Bremen)
- YUFE Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) English for Entrepreneurship – Stephanie Hughes (University of Antwerp with NCU Toruń, University of Cyprus, University of Rijeka, and University of Eastern Finland)
- Doctoral learning and community building – Idaliia Fedotova (University of Eastern Finland)
- OpenLingYUFE – Aliyah Morgenstern (Université Sorbonne-Nouvelle), Astrid De Wit (University of Antwerp), Tanja Mortelmans (University of Antwerp)
Abstracts:
Abstract plenary talk Karen Roehr-Brackin - Individual differences in additional language learning: Does age matter?
In this talk, I will consider the issue of individual learner differences from a lifespan perspective. Following a brief overview of individual difference variables which typically feature in research on additional language learning, I will zoom in on language learning aptitude to illustrate how recent studies provide insights into differences and similarities between learners across the age range. After briefly considering the role of aptitude components in the additional language learning of adolescents and young adults, I will focus on the less researched groups of children and older adults. The multidirectional influence of individual difference variables will be highlighted, alongside the moderating role of age in this complex interplay. I will conclude with some suggestions for future research on individual differences in additional language learning by learners of different ages.
Abstract plenary talk Peter Petré - Is it only language that changes or do language users also change? … and so what if they do?
While attention to the linguistic study of lifespan change has been growing over the past two decades, we are still only just starting to understand how grammar fits in. For a long time, the dominant view has been that grammatical change primarily happens between generations. Lifespan change was considered to be limited to age grading, the shift between different styles or language habits among a repertoire in line with the stage of life one was in, such as adolescence, professional life, or retirement. Most of these findings are based on apparent time studies (which compare different age cohorts in a synchronic snapshot), or panel studies (which compare comparable cohort data collected at different points in time). True lifespan data are still quite rare. One reason is that ego-documents such as private letters or diaries, which are typically used for this type of research, do not contain enough data to do meaningful lifespan research on less frequent aspects of grammar. In this talk I will show what can be gleaned from large data sets from prolific authors with regard to the nature and frequency of lifespan change. Three case studies will provide evidence that lifespan change in grammar entails more than age grading. Data of the use of be going to as an emerging future auxiliary shows continued adaptation by individuals to ongoing change, including the adoption of structural innovations in the grammar, although still constrained by existing habits. Data on the complementation patterns of the verbs remember, forget and expect shows that authors ‘get better’ at their grammars across the lifespan, and that these developments arguably also have an impact on the language conventions in the community. Data on the use of the progressive show that members of the specific community of practice of ‘fire and brimstone preachers’, also seem to ‘get better’ at preaching, and that this will have an impact on their understanding of grammar. In general, significant lifespan change appears to be relatively common, even if not the rule, and its role in language change in the long term should be taken more seriously.