The fundamental aim of this event is to bring together scholars from various areas of knowledge, addressing different topics, with a focus on the general theme of changing worlds, as is contextualised below.

On the 10th of June, 1898, Tuone Udaina, the last known speaker of Dalmatian, died, and a Romance language with centuries of history disappeared with him. Most of the time, however, the death of a language goes unnoticed. Throughout the history of Humankind, hundreds of languages and cultures have appeared and disappeared. Yet, it was in the twentieth century, in the nineties, that several studies were published that showed that the pace at which some languages were disappearing was increasing considerably (cf. David Crystal, Language Death, Cambridge University Press, 2000). Since then, studies on the processes that lead to the extinction of languages and cultures have increased throughout the world, a symptom of constant changes taking place.

This conference aims to delve into the cultural, linguistic, and literary maze, which in itself presupposes diversity, while venturing into the causes underlying the changes in languages and cultures. Since the emergence of the myth of Babel, Humankind has pondered on linguistic, cultural, and religious diversity, among others, sometimes from diverging perspectives.

Kindled by the French Revolution, the respect for minorities, tolerance and freedom are the basis of modern democracy. We propose, then, that we question ourselves about the role of diversity in the construction of contemporary thought. The perception of the other and the image that each culture builds of itself, with the dilemmas and challenges posed by linguistic and cultural diversity, are also the research concerns of this event.

Currently, we live troubled times, which generate major changes that are also jeopardizing diversity. Some of these languages and cultures are now in danger of becoming extinct or undergoing pervasive changes. The deforestation of the Amazon and the pandemic have also been calling into question the linguistic and cultural diversity of the planet and raising ethical questions that deserve to be deliberated further.

Thematic Lines
The work proposals submitted to the conference, either as an oral presentation or in poster form, must always focus on the changing worlds theme, and should relate to any of the following thematic lines:

Changing worlds: language
• minority languages in danger of becoming extinct
• terminological databases as a safeguard for knowledge in extinction
• diatopic and diachronic variation
• human translation vs. non-human translation
• languages and changing digital technology
• linguistic and cultural diversity and language learning

Changing Worlds: Literature
• literatures of Antiquity
• minority culture literatures
• marginal or peripheral literatures
• literature, other arts, and media
• colonialism and post-colonialism in literature and cinema
• changing world characters, themes and scenarios

Changing worlds: culture
• identities undergoing change and exclusion
• the impact of globalization on cultural practices
• cultural and artistic historiography
• ethnography and heritage
• ethics and cultural diversity
• leisure and tourism

Other Changing Worlds
• inclusion policies
• linguistic standardization
• patents vs. public domain
• the defence of linguistic and cultural rights
• thought that is alternative and divergent to dominant thinking
• recovering and reinventing traditions