Linguists’ Day 2026

Welcome to our Linguists’ Day 2026!
Since 1936, the Linguists’ Day welcomes students and researchers interested in research in linguistics in Belgium and beyond. This year’s edition will be hosted by UCLouvain on October 9th 2026, in the city of Louvain-la-Neuve.

SPONSORS
This year’s Linguists’ Day is sponsored by The Dutch Language Institute (INT) and the PLIN research unit of Linguistics at UCLouvain.

CALL FOR PAPERS
We invite submissions for papers (20’ presentation + 10’ discussion) on any topic in theoretical or applied linguistics. Papers can be presented in any of the three Belgian national languages (Dutch, French, German) or in English. Abstracts should not exceed 500 words (without references) and should clearly indicate the topic, the objectives, data and method and (provisional) results. Deadline for submission is 4 May 2026. Please submit your abstract via this form. For any questions or technical issues regarding the abstract submission, please contact Jorina Brysbaert (jorina.brysbaert@uclouvain.be). You will be notified about the acceptance of your abstract by the end of June 2026.

IMPORTANT DATES
– Abstract submission deadline: 4 May 2026
– Extended deadline : 13 May 2026
– Notification of acceptance: end of June 2026
– Program publication: beggining of September 2026

REGISTRATION
Attendance is free of charge ― and this holds for both members and non-members of the Linguistic Society of Belgium. If you want to present at the conference, you are required to become a member of the LSB. This means that you have to be registered on the website and have paid the annual contribution of € 60 (if you wish to obtain a print version of the latest two volumes of the Nota Bene journal), or € 25 (with access to only the digital version of those volumes).

AWARDS
At the end of the conference, two awards will be granted:
– the best presentation by a PhD student in English;
– the best presentation by a PhD student in one of the three Belgian national languages (Dutch, French or
German).

To take part in this contest, you are required to present on your own. Co-authored papers are eligible for the awards, provided that the presentation is given by the PhD student alone.

HOW TO GET TO LOUVAIN-LA-NEUVE?
Conference building and address: Learning Center Christine de Pizan, Place Cardinal Mercier 31, 1348 – Louvain-la-Neuve (https://maps.app.goo.gl/BbYbtFV151pjJfBk9).

By train
Louvain-la-Neuve is easily accessible by train and its train station (named ‘Louvain-la-Neuve Université’) is located in the city centre. From any Belgian station, take the train towards Ottignies, a station situated on the Brussels-Namur line. Get off at Ottignies station and change trains to continue to Louvain-la-Neuve Université (a short 7-min train ride). Some trains go straight from Brussels to Louvain-la-Neuve but they usually take more time. Timetables are available on the website or on the mobile app of the SNCB/NMBS. Tickets can be purchased on the website, on the app, or directly at the station.
The conference venue is very close to the station.