ABOUT THE CONFERENCE

With genuine interest and support from our University of Jeddah, we, at the College of Languages and Translation, are pleased and honoured to organise Jeddah International Systemic Functional Linguistics Conference (JISFLC)—an annual event where we aspire to put advances in theory and application of linguistic and social semiotic research in contact with the global needs and updates of our societies and cultures. The Conference addresses language theory and practice from an interdisciplinary perspective, in which the sciences of language and sign systems intersect with a wide spectrum of disciplines and areas directly related to the individual and social life.

At JISFLC, we are glad to offer local as well as international scholars and community institutions the opportunity to build interdisciplinary teams and research collaborations, where Functional systemicists and social semioticians work closely with colleagues in hospitals, clinical research facilities, media sectors, computational, educational, technological, cultural, legal and industrial institutions and beyond. Here, linguistic and language-related studies of the features, concerns, and artefacts of our communities are carried out, and explorations into how meaning is made, processed, and communicated by humans and/or machines in social and cultural contexts take place.

With a new language-life theme addressed every year, our Conference makes an annually sought destination for experts, pioneers, stakeholders, and practitioners dealing with language, its infinite applications and socio-cultural realisations. It forms a centre of attraction and support for novice scholars to participate in nurturing the research-community reciprocity.

In our Conference, an annual platform is offered to the continuous efforts that aspire to present fresh insights, solutions or even revisits of present-day issues and state-of-the-art artefacts; and to scholars and stakeholders from around the world to engage in dialogues where new research methodologies are developed, opportunities for collaboration are initiated, and research results are effectuated. Hence, dynamic and global promotional channels emerge for the life-integrated, language-oriented, and sign-based research. The Conference thus embodies our New Saudi University Vision in harnessing science to realise a vibrant society and a prosperous economy, and enhancing the role of academic research in achieving the national Saudi 2030 Vision.

THEME

Jeddah First International Systemic Functional Linguistics Conference (J1st ISFLC)

4 – 7 February, 2024

Online

Language and Multimedia

When text messages, voice notes, emojis, and stickers deliver the messages we send and receive daily; when words and figures, graphs and charts, tables and maps, symbols and colours, as well as intonation, pitch, music, and body language collaborate to deliver the ideas we exchange; in a world where emotions are visualised, provoked and even altered on virtual realities and online platforms; when the media work hard to implement the amalgam of modalities to take us to the scene, or bring it to us, loaded with ideology and coated with preconceptions; in festivals and ceremonies where art, music and all folkloric and popular artefacts realise the situations and instantiate the cultures; and in a world where video games, animations and other forms of digitalised communication come to grant us sociability, entertainment and company, we come to realise that the infinite resources of the new and classical media surround us in a world of signs- with special meanings made and significations contextualised. Here,

There are many other ways of meaning, other than through language. … [T]here are many other modes of meaning, in any culture, which are outside the realm of language. … These are all bearers of meaning in the culture. Indeed, we can define a culture as a set of semiotic systems, a set of systems of meaning, all of which interrelate.”

Trying to understand how we mean and what we use to mean is therefore imperative for recognising how we use these semiotic choices to make the meanings we choose in the contexts we exist. And because “all human activity involves choice… [and c]hoosing to act, whether materially or semiotically, is typically a subconscious process … [that] can always be brought into conscious attention, and reflected on” (Halliday, 2013, pp. 15-17), Jeddah First International Systemic Functional Linguistics Conference (J1st ISFLC) in its first year is devoted to uncovering aspects of the semiotic activity of meaning-making through language and multimedia resources. Taking this perspective to the study of meaning, signs and language, and believing in that we can recruit the modes and media of communication to help create a better world, we welcome you all to join us in these discussions and take them further to and through real-life applications.

Taking this perspective to the study of meaning, signs and language, and believing in that we can recruit the modes and media of communication to help create a better world, we welcome you all to join us in these discussions and take them further to and through real-life applications.

It is with great pleasure that I write to you today to announce the first Jeddah International Functional Systemic Linguistics Conference at the prestigious University of Jeddah. This conference is a true testament to the pioneering role of the University of Jeddah in our local community. The university has adopted teaching the fundamentals of this science and has gathered several specialists and researchers from around the world who have made significant contributions to this field. This conference is a true example of this university’s commitment to excellence in knowledge and dedication to scientific and research leadership, which are crucial in achieving the strategic goals of modern Saudi University. It highlights the effective role of linguistic research in our society.

The topic of this conference revolves around achieving societal interests in line with the framework of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030. This conference will serve as a local and global gathering for esteemed experts, pioneers, and skilled researchers who have dedicated their efforts to studying language and its applications. Additionally, it will serve as a hub for support and inspiration for upcoming researchers allowing them to engage in future scientific discussions and collaborate on upcoming projects. This is what the university's vision aims to achieve to enhance the role of academic research in achieving a prosperous economy and vibrant society.

I wish everyone gathered here today success and that this conference will be a local and international hub of knowledge attracting the most prominent specialists and finest researchers studying language and its diverse applications. We should recognize the interconnectedness of language as a crucial aspect in finding solutions to challenges and addressing societal needs.

Finally, I would like to thank the College of Languages and Translation, and all the individuals responsible for organizing this conference.

Please feel free to contact us at: jisflc@uj.edu.sa, and for technical support, we will be happy to assist you at: lmmc@uj.edu.sa