COMUNICA 2026
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COMUNICA 2026

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COMUNICA 2026

Call for papers

Communicating at the university today: theoretical reflections and operational proposals

Language Center of the University of Perugia (21-22 May 2026)

 

Call for papers – Italiano

Call for papers – Español

Call for papers – Português

Call for papers – Français

1 September 2025: call opening

15 November 2025: abstract submission deadline

 

Description

Academic communication is configured as a heterogeneous space, in which different functions coexist: from the specialised dialogue between peers, to the formative knowledge construction between teachers and students, up to the divulgative mediation addressed at non-expert interlocutors. Whatever the disciplinary field, academic communication is essentially based on the use of language, in its oral and written forms, to convey and develop concepts and knowledge.

The idea for this conference originated from the activities promoted by the international inter-university centre LinE – Language in Education, and in particular by the cluster dedicated to the study of academic communication, its functions, its effects on teaching and training, and its linguistic and pragmatic implications.

Academic language can now be considered a specialised variety, used in academic texts and discourse to facilitate communication and reflection on disciplinary content. It is an interdisciplinary language that students and experts must master to communicate effectively, build critical arguments and share complex cognitive strategies. This language is used in a variety of communicative situations, such as lectures, seminars, manuals and scientific articles, and is essential for a clear understanding and analysis of study material (e.g. Bailey & Heritage, 2008; Balboni, 2000; Ciliberti & Anderson, 1999; Desideri & Tessuto, 2011; Mezzadri, 2016; Nagy & Townsend, 2012; Nation, 2001; Schleppegrell, 2004).

While students need to demonstrate increasing levels of sophistication in their language skills as they progress in their studies, practitioners, teachers and researchers also require high levels of communicative language competence to express specialised content effectively. Proficiency in the academic language is an indicator of the ability to carry out scientific reasoning, and is essential for all students and future professionals, regardless of their mother tongue (Bialystok, 2001).

Explicit teaching of the academic specialised language is, therefore, necessary for acquiring cognitive-academic language competence (CALP), which enables learning and critically processing new knowledge and developing appropriate communicative strategies (Cummins, 1986). This competence differs from everyday communicative competence and requires the acquisition of new disciplinary contents expressed in an unfamiliar linguistic form (O’Brien & Leighton, 2015).

Nowadays, the importance of academic language is also highlighted with regards to the increasing internationalisation process in which universities are now embedded. Knowledge of the constitutive features of academic language, from the terminological to the structural, rhetorical and pragmatic, is crucial not only for the success of one’s studies and research, but also to ensure the effectiveness and appropriateness of communicative interactions in different disciplinary contexts.

In parallel, the increasing use of AI-based tools by both students and lecturers is transforming the way academic content is accessed, as well as its production and evaluation. The conscious use of AI in the academic context, e.g. in writing, revision, research and feedback processes, raises important questions related to communicative competence, metalinguistic reflection and the redefinition of roles between technologies and teaching practices. These tools, if critically integrated into teaching and study, can be a resource for enhancing academic communication, supporting the acquisition of the language of study and facilitating the approach to disciplinary languages.

The conference aims to discuss the issues outlined so far by focusing on the internationalisation of educational institutions, multilingual approaches in university didactics, the language used for study and discipline-specific languages, and the role of English-Medium Instruction (EMI) and national academic languages, with reference to practices and contexts of application.

 

Topics:

a) The role of academic communication in internationalisation processes

b) Multilingual practices in academic teaching

c) Language of study and languages for special purposes: characteristics and functions

d) EMI and national academic languages: practices and contexts of use

a)      The role of academic communication in internationalisation processes

Internationalisation is currently one of the most complex and challenging, yet relevant, processes facing universities. Academic communication plays a crucial role in making knowledge accessible and shareable at the crossroads of diverse cultural and linguistic contexts. Topics of interest include:

  • The impact of international mobility programmes on academic discourse practices;
  • Linguistic-communicative strategies effective in dissemination and international cooperation;
  • Language in student mobility projects and transnational education;
  • Linguistic features of scientific publishing and conference presentations.

b)      Multilingual practices in academic teaching

The growing linguistic diversity of university students and the presence of increasingly international academic contexts have made multilingual practices a fundamental resource in academic programmes. This section welcomes contributions on:

  • Didactic approaches that integrate multiple languages in academic teaching;
  • Strategies for managing multilingualism in the classroom;
  • Use of official language(s) and other language systems in academic discourse;
  • The role of translation and language mediation in multilingual academic contexts, including educational interpreting practices.

c)      Language of study and languages for special purposes: characteristics and functions

The language of study (in both oral and written form), namely the linguistic register used by students to learn and process disciplinary content, is an essential component of university education. This section focuses on:

  • The linguistic and textual characteristics of academic textbooks and teaching materials;
  • The continuum of academic discourse between the two polarities of language of study and languages for special purposes;
  • Didactic strategies to facilitate comprehension and production of specialised texts;
  • The role of terminology in the development of conceptual frameworks of different disciplines and in the learning process;
  • The role of artificial intelligence in the reworking of disciplinary content and in supporting oral and written comprehension and production.

d)      EMI and national academic languages: practices and contexts of use

EMI is an increasingly widespread phenomenon in universities worldwide, with a crucial impact on national academic languages and teaching practices. This section welcomes studies and reflections on:

  • Models and strategies for implementing EMI at the university;
  • Interferences between English and national languages and their co-existence in the academic discourse;
  • The effectiveness of EMI in the learning and assessment process;
  • Assessment strategies in EMI

Working languages: Italian and English

Format for abstracts

Paper proposals may take the form of theoretical reflections based on existing work, presentations of scientific studies or reflective accounts of experiences supported by empirical data.

Proposals must include

  • the title;
  • an abstract of no more than 400 words;
  • a maximum of 5 bibliographical references;
  • a reference to the corresponding theme(s).

Proposals may be submitted in the language chosen by the authors (Italian or English), which will also be the language of the oral presentation. If you are interested in submitting a proposal in another language, please contact the Scientific Committee.

Proposals must be anonymous. Authors must therefore ensure that they do not appear in the proposal and cannot be identified by their project name.

Each author may only submit one proposal; in the case of proposals with several authors, each author may submit a maximum of one proposal as sole author and one proposal as co-author.

Proposals must be submitted to the following address: convegno.comunica2026@unipg.it

Submission format

Presentations will last 20 minutes, followed by 10 minutes of discussion. The languages of the presentations are English or Italian.

Calendar

  • 1 September 2025: call opening
  • 15 November 2025: abstract submission deadline
  • 15 January 2026: notification to authors
  • 15 March-20 April 2026: registration opening
  • 21-22 May 2026: conference at CLA – University of Perugia

How the conference will be held

The conference will be held exclusively in person.

For organisational reasons, requests for remote participation will not be accepted under any circumstances.

Publication of contributions

A collection of contributions will be published in a monographic issue in a scientific journal, subject to selection by the Scientific Committee.

Scientific Committee

Diana Peppoloni, Elisabetta Bonvino, Mariavita Cambria, Sandro Caruana, Cristiana Cervini, Elisa Fiorenza, Nicola Grandi, Paula Limao, Yahis Martari, Emanuela Paone, Marco Paone, Fabiana Rosi, Matteo Santipolo, Andrea Villarini

Organising Committee

Diana Peppoloni, Susanna Alessandrelli, Cristiana Cervini, Elisa Fiorenza, Paula Limao, Yahis Martari, Emanuela Paone, Marco Paone

Bibliographic references

Bailey A. L., Heritage H. M. (2008), Formative assessment for literacy, grades K-6: Building reading and academic language skills across the curriculum, Corwin Press, Thousand Oaks.

Balboni E. P. (2000), Le microlanguages scientifico-professionali. Nature and Teaching, UTET, Turin.

Bialystok E. (2001), Bilingualism in Development: Language, Literacy, and Cognition, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

Ciliberti A., Anderson L. (1999), Le forme della comunicazione accademica. Linguistic research on university didactics in the humanities, FrancoAngeli, Milan.

Cummins J. (1986), ‘Empowering minority students: A framework for intervention’, in Harvard Educational Review, 56, pp. 18-36.

Desideri P., Tessuto G. (2011), The academic discourse. Languages and disciplinary practices, Quattroventi, Urbino.

Mezzadri M. (2016), Studying Italian at university. Perspectives and tools, Loescher, Turin.

Nagy W., Townsend D. (2012), ‘Words as tools: Learning academic vocabulary as language acquisition’, in Reading Research Quarterly, 47, pp. 91-108.

Nation I. S. P. (2001), Learning vocabulary in another language, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.O’Brien L. M., Leighton C. M. (2015), ‘Use of increasingly complex text to advance EL’s knowledge and academic language’, in Literacy Research: Theory, Method, and Practice, 64, pp. 169-192.

Schleppegrell M. J. (2004), The language of schooling: A functional linguistics perspective, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers.

 

 

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