Conference of Venice 2015

The international conference Balkan Dialectology. “Balkan” Enclaves in Italy: Languages, Dialects, Identities, held in Venice on 26–28 November 2015, marked the sixth annual meeting of the Commission for Balkan Linguistics under the International Committee of Slavicists. The event reflected a growing shift in Balkan linguistic research toward areal dialectology, emphasizing dialects as living evidence of current and historical contact situations that shaped the Balkan Sprachbund. Presentations explored mechanisms of structural convergence, grammaticalization, and mutual influence among contact varieties. Special attention was given to the “Balkan” enclaves of Southern and Central Italy—Griko/Grecanico, Molise Slavic, and Arbëresh—whose interaction with neighboring Italian dialects illustrates both local and broader patterns of linguistic and cultural exchange. Alongside studies in areal and contact linguistics, several papers addressed sociolinguistic and identity-related aspects, contributing to a nuanced understanding of the “in-Balkan” and “out-Balkan” dialectal continuum.