Young Linguists' Meeting in Poznań (YLMP) is a conference organised by and for young linguists who appreciate the significance of interdisciplinary research and therefore want to go beyond the traditional branches of linguistics. We believe that the connection between linguistics and other fields of study, such as psychology or sociology, is both crucial and pervasive. Our goal is to present the advantages of an integrated approach and emphasize its importance for contemporary linguistic research.

The interdisciplinarity of the conference is expressed in its leitmotif, which is "Linguistics:
A separate branch or an integrated field of science? Recent trends in linguistic research".

The meeting which was held in 2009 was intended to be the first of a series of annual meetings. It was meant as a forum for discussion for all those who were interested in language and its connections with other fields of modern science. The idea came from the then M.A. student Łukasz Pakuła, who since then has been collaborating with members of the IFA staff (especially Monika Połczyńska who enthousiastically joined the Organising Committee and has been of immense help since) and his fellow students, Małgorzata Trojan, Dorota Jaworska and Łukasz Kozanowski, in the organisation of YLMP.

What makes it worth participating in YLMP conferences? Without any doubt we could give a plethora of reasons for doing so. There is one problem – our words might not seem credible. This, however, does not concern our former participants and special guests. Below you can find some thoughts and reflections that YLMP2009 participants kindly shared with us.

• Dr. Alexander Rapp (Die Universitatsklinik fur Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie: die Arbeitsgruppe Kognitive Neuropsychiatrie, Tubingen):
  "I definitively enjoyed my time at the YLMP every minute: the organisation was perfect and couldn´t be better, the venue is ideal for the meeting, but the best thing was the fresh and stimulating atmosphere during the meeting. A lot has been said about problems to arouse interest for research in students these days, but meetings like the YLMP are definitively an absolutely excellent idea. I can only advice young colleagues to join the 2010 meeting! The meeting is as well brilliant for non-linguists who want to learn in this field, really interdisciplinary in its very best sense! It would be a pleasure for me to come back in 2010."

• Prof. Patrick Hanks (Charles University in Prague):

"YLMP 2009 was a most impressive and enjoyable event. It was organized by junior faculty and research students, but was in no way inferior to longer-established senior linguistic congresses. The quality of the selected papers was first class, with some well-researched and thought-provoking contributions, presented in a professional style. The organization and admin. was faultless. Perhaps because the congress was organized by young Polish academics and attended by young linguics from all over the world, it was especially notable for its buzz of intellectual excitement and enthusiasm. The choice of visiting speakers was imaginative, with a stimulating interdisciplinary mixture. It was a great pleasure for me to be able to attend, to meet new people, and to learn so much. Well done, YLMP! I wish you equally successful congresses in future years. The future of linguistics in Poznan is in good hands."

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We enjoyed YLMP2009 tremendously, and we hope that so did you. However, we want our conference to develop, and therefore we are working hard to look out for the things we could improve. So, what’s new in YLMP2010?

• As was the case in YLMP2009, we want to give our participants an unforgettable chance to exchange ideas with other students from all over the world, as well as to interact with the most respected and recognized specialists in linguistics and related fields. This time, however, we want to lay more emphasis on practice than we did last year. Therefore, what you can expect is a wider variety of workshops, and more direct learning experience.


• As the YLMP keyword is ‘interdisciplinarity’, we also want to give the floor to those who are not linguists per se. Thus, get ready for fruitful and heated debates with neurologists, psychiatrists, psychologists, sociologists, IT specialists, lexicographers and many, many other professionals. We strongly believe that such interaction is one of the best ways to bring genuine benefit to science. What we encourage and call for is the exchange of varied ideas and viewpoints – it is this that enables one to broaden his or her horizons.


• There was no poster session during YLMP2009. Therefore, we would like to organise one during YLMP2010. We announce that we do invite posters… and from now on, all is in your hands. We are looking forward to your contribution!


• YLMP2009, successful as it was, was quite a marathon. We are planning to distribute our sessions more evenly this time, with more conference rooms, and more humane finishing hours. Moreover, we are going to organise a guided trip around the city, and an even grander YLMP party!