56th Linguistic Society of Papua New Guinea (LSPNG) Conference
The 56th LSPNG Conference will be hosted by the University of Goroka, under the School of Humanities in the Division of Language and Literature on the 17- 19 September 2025.
Abstract submission is now open, see details below.  More details will be made available in due course.

Call for Papers
Theme: “Language Crossroads: Standards, Identity, and Multilingual Complexity"
Under the above theme, the conference presentations are divided into two themes; one addressing work in the fields of linguistics and languages in the pacific region and the other addressing issues surrounding standard of English in Papua New Guinea.

The Organizing Committee welcomes presentations addressing either one or both themes. 
i)    Linguistics/Languages in the Pacific region
One of the purposes of the conference is to bring together language workers, researchers, linguists, anthropologists, creolists, translators and educators who are working on the languages of the Pacific region and to promote collaboration and research in this area, as the region is arguably the most linguistically diverse in the world.  
The presentations should capture the broadly interdisciplinary approach to linguistic inquiry reflecting diverse theories and analyses, especially in work done on Papuan and Austronesian languages.  The conference also encourages presentations which celebrate and promote the United Nation’s declaration of the International Decade of Indigenous Languages (IDIL2022-2032). 
ii)    Standard of English in Papua New Guinea

The country experienced a drastic fall of standard of English competency in primary, secondary, and tertiary institutions. An example is drawn from the UOG English Enrichment Diagnostic Test administered in 2023. The alarming results indicated that only 3% of the first-year students who took the test were competent English users, while 97% of the students were considered incompetent users. Other research linked poor quality of education in PNG to students’ delayed age of onset of learning English (Temple, et al., 2019) and to the lack of establishing English performance standards for both teachers and students (Vetunawa, 2008). The aim of the conference is to bring teachers, researchers, educators, government agents, NGOs, and literacy workers together to address this national issue and to recommend ways of resolving it. 
Topics to be considered include but are not limited to:
•    Documentation and description of indigenous languages 
•    Language Diversity and Endangerment 
•    The impact of English on indigenous languages 
•    Language policies and their implications for multilingual education. 
•    Falling standards of English in Papua New Guinea

Abstract:
We invite scholars, researchers, and practitioners to submit abstracts for presentations on topics related to the two conference themes. Abstracts should be no more than 400 words and should clearly outline the research questions, methodology, and key findings.
Abstract Submission: 
We invite abstracts for 20-minute presentations followed by 10 minutes of interactions. Abstracts (max: 400 words) should be no more than one A4 page in length, including references and examples. They should be anonymous and set in a minimum of 12 font size and styled in Times New Roman. They should be in word format and the file name should start with LSPNG2025, followed by an underscore and then the first author’s surname, e.g. LSPNG2025_surname. After renaming the abstracts, they will be peer reviewed by members of the program committee. Abstracts must be submitted electronically as an attachment and sent to lnlsecretary@unigoroka.ac.pg 
Abstract Content:
1.Your choice of title will help us group your paper accordingly into categories to form thematically cohesive sessions; please make sure the title clearly reflects the essence of your presentation.
2. State the methodology, design, key findings, recommendations and etc. to ensure that your paper is an empirical research paper and not just a concept paper. 
3.State the main point or argument of your research/presentation.
4.Summarize the significance of your research.
5. Best paper Award will be considered
Deadline: 30th June, 2025