ENEOLI hosted its first general meeting on May 16-17, 2024, in the beautiful building of the University of Verona.

The event began with a Management Committee meeting on May 16th, during which strategic directions and operational frameworks were discussed. The following day included focused sessions led by the working group chairs and activity leaders, who outlined the proposed future work.

Click here for the meeting programme, browse the photos from the event, and read a detailed event report below.

Photos by Špela A. Holdt, report by Onorina Botezat

The COST Action CA22126 Management Committee Meeting was held on May 16th. After greetings from our Action Chair, Giovanni Luca Tallarico, the meeting commenced with a welcome speech by Roberta Facchinetti, Full Professor of English Language and Linguistics, Head of the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures, ENEOLI Grant Holder Legal and Financial Representative, University of Verona, who praised the innovative and global network. Our Science and Administrative Officers, Rossella Magli and Carmencita Malimban were present at the meeting with important information regarding COST program and funding.

The first part of the meeting was dedicated to administrative issues, quorum verification, a recap of previous minutes, the Core Group report, and Action membership – new members from the United Kingdom, Bulgaria, and Cyprus were admitted, bringing total MC representation to 37 countries and new observer from South Africa –a summary of the financial status, ensuring transparency and clarity regarding the Action’s budget. The current structure was maintained with reaffirmed leadership roles for all working groups, and a new co-leader for WG4, Petar Božović, was introduced. The meeting noted satisfactory geographical representation and gender balance, with women comprising 66.6% of WG members and 25% of Young Researchers and Innovators (YRIs).

Weronika Wozniak-Zak presented the first collection of Grant Awarding that yielded successful results, with grants awarded for various conferences and short-term scientific missions. Science Communication Coordinator Špela Arhar Holdt introduced the Science Communication Plan, which was approved by the MCs and the Action’s webpage and social media channels. The Management Committee discussed future activities, including the upcoming Training School and Workshops planned for GP2. This session was crucial for setting the direction for the next grant period. The floor was opened for additional discussions and topics not covered in the agenda, allowing for a comprehensive review of all pertinent issues.

On May 17, 2024, the WG1 meeting focused on the multilingual glossary in neology, held both in-person and via Zoom, brought together experts in lexicography and terminology. The introduction by WG1 Co-Leaders John Humbley and Ana Salgado, who highlighted the critical role of WG1 in developing a comprehensive multilingual glossary on neology, set the stage for the presentations by task coordinators, emphasizing the collaborative spirit and progress of the working group. Raquel Silva, the coordinator for Task 1.1, presented the team’s work on the Lambert-Lucas French corpus. Utilizing tools like AntConc and Sketch Engine, the team analyzed the corpus to identify and validate term candidates. Silva demonstrated that while both tools provided similar results, Sketch Engine proved more efficient, especially for handling complex polylexical units and N-Grams. This insight underscored the tool’s potential for future corpus analyses, promising improved accuracy and efficiency in term extraction. Leading Task 1.2, David Lindemann detailed the workflow for managing NeoCorpus, including a Zotero group containing validated article metadata and full texts. He explained the integration of NeoCorpus with NeoVoc within the ENEOLI Wikibase, a graph database facilitating data and relationship management between articles and neological terms. Lindemann highlighted the use of free software and the collaborative nature of this endeavour, which allows for extensive participation and refinement of the database. Vladimír Benko presented on the Aranea project, a large-scale web text processing initiative. His presentation illustrated potential applications and collaborations with WG1’s work, proposing new tools and methodologies to enhance the glossary’s development. Benko’s insights opened avenues for integrating Aranea’s capabilities with WG1’s tasks, aiming to enrich the corpus analysis and term extraction processes.

The day continued with the second general meeting for Working Group 2 (WG2), which focused on methodologies, digital resources, and tools for neology. Led by co-leaders Ana Ostroški Anić and Federica Vezzani, the Working Group gathers 141 members from 38 countries, emphasizing the diverse and interdisciplinary nature of this collaborative effort. Thus, their respective coordinators presented diverse tasks during the session. Coordinated by Jelena Kallas and Kristina Koppel, Task 2.1: Survey on Lexical Innovation Methods and Practices involves a comprehensive survey to gather data on methodologies, available resources, and tools used in neology. The survey targets research groups and individual researchers, focusing on five domains: lexicography, terminology, lexicology/linguistics, translation studies, and software development. Task 2.3: Guidelines and Best Practices for Neology Methodology, coordinated by Anca Gata and Neslihan Onder-Ozdemir, focuses on developing guidelines for the extraction, description, analysis, and follow-up of neologisms. The guidelines will be based on literature reviews, meeting minutes, and contributions from all members. Voula Giouli coordinates Task 2.4: Methods for Identifying and Monitoring Neologisms, which aims to analyze tools and methodologies for the identification and lifecycle tracking of neologisms. The task will leverage Large Language Models (LLMs) and Linguistic Linked Open Data (LLOD) to develop guidelines and create datasets for neology extraction. Led by Kris Heylen and Ilan Kernerman, Task 2.5: Neology from a Lexicographic Perspective focuses on the lexicographic treatment of neologisms. It aims to provide a publicly available database that offers a systematic overview of neology practices, serving as a reference for lexicographers, developers, and data analysts.

ENEOLI WG3 panel, led by Vincent Balnat and Kris Heylen, aimed to further their research on comparative studies of neology and lexical innovation, exploring and documenting the dynamic nature of language by studying new words and expressions across various languages, domains, and periods. WG3 reflects diverse scientific backgrounds and is organized into smaller, focused task groups that address specific areas of interest. Alina Villalva leads the group focusing on blends, aiming to develop a corpus-based lexicographic register of blends and their translations. This involves compiling compatible monolingual blend corpora and dictionaries and conducting experimental research on blend interpretation. Anna Bączkowska spearheads the examination of neological terms emerging in immigration-related discourse, providing critical insights into how language evolves in response to social issues. Petra Storjohann directs the investigation into new terms introduced by significant events such as COVID-19, the war in Ukraine, the energy crisis, and climate change. This group’s goal is to explore the semantic and lexicographic impact of these neologisms and their roles in shaping public debate. Jean-Louis Vaxelaire heads the task group studying the incorporation of neologisms in proper names, while Esther Breuer’s team examines how new words are assimilated into our mental lexicons, focusing on their phonological, orthographic, grammatical, and semantic aspects. Finally, Radka Mudrochová and Andrzej Napieralski manage a task dedicated to publishing a volume in French on new verb formations, highlighting the dynamism and adaptability of verb usage.

The fourth working group (WG4) of the ENEOLI project is dedicated to developing innovative methodologies for teaching neology across various professional fields, such as translation, lexicography, and language teaching. Under the leadership of Judit Freixa and Petar Božović, the meeting focused on several key tasks to analyse current practices, define competencies, and design innovative training forms. Task 4.1 involved a status quo analysis spearheaded by Hiwa Asadpour and Sorina Ciobanu. Hiwa Asadpour’s team is conducting a needs analysis survey to understand the challenges faced by professionals such as translators, interpreters, language teachers, and lexicographers when dealing with neology. This survey will provide critical insights into these professionals’ linguistic, intercultural, and technological needs. Concurrently, Sorina Ciobanu’s team is conducting a comprehensive literature review to gather existing research on teaching neology to identify gaps and opportunities for new methodologies. Miguel Sánchez Ibáñez leads Task 4.2, which defines competencies necessary for effective neology training. The goal is to create a clear, precise, and evaluable set of competencies that can be integrated into training programs, ensuring they are directly linked to the needs identified in the previous analysis. In Task 1.3, coordinated by Daniela Hasa and Etleva Kondi, the group develops innovative training methodologies tailored to university courses and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programs. These methodologies are being designed across three main modules: translation studies, lexicography, and language teaching. Each module has specific aims and objectives to equip professionals with the skills to navigate the evolving landscape of neology. For example, the module on Neology in Translation Studies focuses on helping translators keep up with evolving language trends, accurately convey new meanings, and adapt translations to cultural, social, and technological changes. The Lexicography module aims to teach participants how to effectively identify, document, and categorize neologisms, providing insights into language development from diachronic and synchronic perspectives. Lastly, the Language Teaching module aims to enhance the ability of educators to integrate neologisms into their teaching materials and lesson plans, thus fostering a deeper understanding of current cultural and societal values.

The Verona meeting was marked by fruitful discussions and significant progress across all working groups. WG1 underscored the importance of collaboration and technological integration in advancing the multilingual glossary on neology. WG2 reaffirmed their commitment to the study of lexical innovation through collaborative efforts and the creation of comprehensive digital resources. WG3’s contributions to the documentation and analysis of language change were recognized as vital in reflecting the evolving nature of human communication. WG4 remained dedicated to their mission of advancing the study and teaching of neology, thereby enhancing the understanding of language evolution and its practical implications across various fields. The insights and efforts shared by task coordinators and presenters throughout the meeting highlighted the dynamic progress of the project and its potential impact on the field of neology.