It Takes a Diaspora to Raise a Language: Future Directions for Armenian
February 27-28, 2026 | University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
Organized by the USC Dornsife Institute of Armenian Studies and the Armenian Communities Department of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation
Conference Theme
How can the Armenian language thrive in the Diaspora? What initiatives, strategies, and targeted efforts are succeeding in sustaining and invigorating Armenian in its literary standards, colloquial or dialectal forms across generations and geographies?
This conference intentionally shifts the focus away from narratives of loss and toward examples of innovation, creativity, and success. The goal is to spotlight what is working in efforts to maintain, transmit, and cultivate Armenian in diasporic contexts. Comparative perspectives from other diasporic or minority language communities facing similar questions of vitality are also welcome.
The program will feature academic panels and practitioner showcases to encourage dialogue between research and on the ground experience.
The conference takes stock of developments in the field of language acquisition and development in the Diaspora since the “Innovation in Education: Challenges in Teaching Western Armenian in the 21st Century” conference that took place in 2015 in Paris, co-organized by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and INALCO. It aims to analyze and build on the successes and challenges since then, particularly with respect to the revitalization efforts of the Armenian language in the Diaspora.
Areas of Focus
We invite papers and presentations that align with the following key thematic areas:
Language and Education
- Successful models of formal and informal Armenian language education in the Diaspora
- Pedagogical innovations and curriculum development; differing methodological approaches that take diverse sociolinguistic profiles into account
- Community-driven schools and public school programs with impact
Language and Technology
- Creative uses of media, digital platforms, and tech tools in supporting Armenian language use and cultivation
- Social media, gaming, podcasts, and AI in language teaching, documentation, or preservation
- “Behind-the-scenes” technical components required for the development of language tools (LLMs, treebanks, etc.)
Language Acquisition, Transmission, and Use Outside Formal Institutions
- Music, art, literature, athletics, and cultural practices as vehicles for language use and learning
- Grassroots efforts and informal spaces where Armenian thrives
- Project-based learning techniques
How to Measure Impact
- Mechanisms and tools to measure short, medium, and long term impact of programs on language acquisition and development
- Possibilities of having diaspora-wide standards
- How to share stories and practices of success
Dialect Bending or Accommodation
- How dialectal and colloquial variation is navigated, adapted, or embraced in diaspora
- Successful strategies in dialect accommodation or creative “bending”
- Community attitudes and identity negotiation through dialect and/or colloquial variant use
Submission Guidelines
Please submit an abstract of 300-500 words that clearly addresses:
- The project’s significance and/or how it fills a research or practice gap
- Central research question(s) or project aim
- Methodology or approach
- Key findings or expected contributions
We strongly encourage submissions that foreground research or practice-based solutions, successes, and effective models in sustaining Armenian language vitality. Papers may be grounded in academic research or substantive practitioner experience.
Group and interactive presentations are welcomed. Presentations should be 20 minutes.
Submission Deadline: July 27, 2025 11:59 PM Pacific Time
Click here to submit your abstract.
If you have any questions, please email: armenian@usc.edu