The First Eurasian Congress of Linguists is taking place from December 9 to 13, 2024, focusing on contemporary language issues. Notable experts such as Juha Ylönen from the University of Helsinki and Johanna Nichols from the University of California, Berkeley, presented on the history of Eurasian languages. Alan Chenk's presentation on multimodal linguistics examined how speech interacts with visual aids, including gestures, indicating a promising research direction.
A significant segment of the congress addresses the development of the modern Russian language, led by Alexey Gippius from the Higher School of Economics and the Institute of Slavic Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Gippius's research on Novgorod birch bark letters sheds light on the early stages of Old Russian language formation and its evolution into modern Russian.
The congress aims to structure language policies that support the growth of major international languages while preserving smaller languages to maintain cultural diversity. The event features eight plenary reports, 18 parallel sessions, over 20 round tables, and three large poster sessions.
This congress is organized by the Institute of Linguistics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, supported by the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia, and commemorates the 300th anniversary of the Russian Academy of Sciences.