Speaking of French

Tulane University is hosting the 2nd World Congress of French Linguistics, sponsored by the Institut de Linguistique Française in Paris. New Orleans was chosen as the first overseas site to hold the conference because of the city's strong French heritage.

French Consul General–New Orleans Olivier Brochenin addresses the opening session of the World Congress of French Linguistics. (Photos by Paula Burch-Celentano)

“This conference is important because it is an international venue for the sharing of the latest cutting-edge research on the French language and will thus contribute to more vigorous intellectual exchange and collaboration among linguists specializing in the study of French,” says Thomas A. Klingler, associate professor and chair of the Tulane Department of French and Italian.

The opening session on Monday (July 12) took place in the Freeman Auditorium at the Woldenberg Art Center on the uptown campus, in recognition of Tulane's contribution to the conference, with Tulane Provost Michael Bernstein and French Consul General–New Orleans Olivier Brochenin speaking.

Thomas A. Klingler, chair of the French and Italian department, welcomes French linguists to the international conference.

The meeting continues through today (July 15) with sessions at the Hotel Monteleone in downtown New Orleans.

Most of the approximately 200 attendees are from France, but there are participants from a host of other European countries, as well as Australia, Brazil, Canada, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Israel, Japan, Mexico, Morocco, Russia, South Korea and Vietnam.

“Our being asked to host the conference both confirms and reinforces (the Tulane) French program's international reputation and profile,” Klinger says.

The conference comes at an especially appropriate time, with the new Tulane PhD programs in French and linguistics set to welcome their first cohorts of incoming students.

Presenters at the conference will include Marie Paul, the Haitian Creole instructor at Tulane, and Darcie Williams, a PhD candidate in linguistics.

The first World Congress (Congrès Mondial de Linguistique Française) was held in Paris in 2008, and organizers plan to hold it every other year, alternating between France and a Francophone country.