FABL II – Класичне науке

Background & motivation

Following the successful event in 2023, the University of Belgrade – Faculty of Philosophy, Institute for the Study of Antiquity and Classical Heritage will host the second FABL-themed conference on 31 October 2025.

Like its predecessor, Fundamentals and Advances in Balkan Linguistics II: Folk, Areal and Balkan Linguistics (FABL II) aims to foster networking and to provide a forum for high-quality research in all (sub)domains of Balkan linguistics and linguistic anthropology, language contact studies and areal linguistics, by creating an opportunity for both established and emerging researchers in the field to meet, present and discuss their work in a friendly and stimulating atmosphere.

To this end, this year’s FABL topics will specifically revolve around folk, cultural and ethnolinguistics (in/about the Balkans, in Antiquity and today) and areal linguistics (past and present linguistic areas and language contacts in/with the Balkans and neighbouring zones).

As the year 2025 marks the semicentennial of the passing of Milan Budimir (1891–1975), Academician and Professor of Classics at the University of Belgrade and a doyen of Palaeo-Balkan linguistics, we especially invite papers that deal with issues of linguistic and cultural continuities and discontinuities in Southeastern Europe since Antiquity to the present day, the area in which Budimir has made an unparalleled contribution.

Invited speakers

Eleni Bužarovska (Ss. Cyril and Methodius University of Skopje)
Bilyana Mikhaylova (St. Clement of Ohrid University of Sofia)
Andrey N. Sobolev (RAS Institute for Linguistic Research/University of Marburg)
Matej Šekli (University of Ljubljana)

Research topics

Abstracts are invited for 20-minute presentations, followed by a 10-minute discussion, on any aspect of folk, areal or Balkan linguistics, including but not limited to:

• structure of Balkan languages and dialects in synchrony and diachrony
• (micro)variation in Balkan languages and dialects
• divergent and convergent features in Balkan languages and dialects
• linguistic corpora and corpus languages in the Balkans
• (historical) sociolinguistics in the Balkans
• bilingualism and multilingualism in the Balkans
• mechanisms of contact-induced language change and retention
• linguistic areas, micro and macro areas in the Balkans and neighbouring zones
• history of Balkan linguistics / history of linguistics in the Balkans
• folk linguistics and etymology in the Balkans: language myths, legends, and tales
• linguistic anthropology, cultural and ethnolinguistics in Antiquity and today

Submission details

Abstracts should not exceed one page (including examples and figures, excluding references). They should have 2.5 cm or 1 inch margins and be written in a font size not smaller than 12 pt. The abstracts, including authors’ name, affiliation and email address, should be sent as a doc(x) or pdf file to balkanlinguistics@gmail.com. The organisers will anonymise all submissions and send them for review to the members of the Programme Committee.

In order to guarantee diversity, one person may be the first author of only one submission. Preferred language of submissions as well as presented papers is English.

The deadline for abstract submission is 15 June 2025. Notification of acceptance will be given by 15 July 2025.

The meeting is planned as an in-person event only.