Language and Social Interaction Division
NCA 109th Annual Convention Division Call

The Language and Social Interaction (LSI) Division promotes research and teaching on language and discourse processes in social interaction. The 109th Annual Convention of the National Communication Association (NCA) to be held in National Harbor, Maryland USA, November 16-19, 2023, will engage with the theme “Freedom.” This theme invites submissions that “examine the meaning and praxis of freedom” and highlight how “human communication plays a critical role in our understanding of what it means to be free.” The LSI Division invites submissions of individual papers, extended abstracts, paper sessions, and panel discussions. We encourage submissions that address the convention’s theme and that “broaden our practices” by integrating multiple LSI theoretical and methodological perspectives.

Submissions to the LSI division may be empirical, theoretical, methodological, or exploratory in nature but should take an approach that is grounded in at least one of the following traditions: applied linguistics, conversation analysis, discourse analysis, ethnography of communication, ethnomethodology, membership categorization analysis, discursive psychology, narrative analysis, pragmatics, social psychology of language, social semiotics, sociolinguistics, or speech act theory. All submissions must be made via NCA Convention Central. Submissions are accepted starting January 9, 2023 until the deadline of March 29, 2023 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time.

Individual Papers and Extended Abstracts: An individual paper is a paper submitted by an author or authors that is not part of a preconceived paper session. Both complete papers (no longer than 25 pages in length, double spaced, excluding references) and extended abstracts (1500-3000 words) will be considered. Extended abstracts should provide a rationale for the study, state the main analytic point(s) or argument(s) of the paper, and include a brief analysis of at least one data extract. Recognition for the top three individual papers will be given, including awards for top paper and top student paper. Only full papers will be considered for the awards. Please complete the required electronic submission fields including title, description, author(s), and keywords. Upload a copy of your paper or abstract. All identifying author information (names, institutions, hidden document properties) should be removed from your paper or abstract document before uploading. Please indicate on the electronic submission form whether your paper submission should be considered a student-authored paper and if you would like to be considered for presentation in Scholar to Scholar.

Paper Sessions: A paper session is a preconceived and complete session of papers surrounding a topic, in which each presenter (3-5) presents a paper. Paper sessions are submitted and reviewed for consideration. Paper session submissions should include: 1) a session title; 2) an overall session description; 3) chair(s) and respondent(s) (if applicable); 4) titles, author(s), and abstracts for each paper; 5) a rationale for the value of the session. Paper sessions should include individuals representing multiple institutions rather than individuals from only one or two institutions. Further, a single person should not serve more than one role (i.e., chair, respondent, or presenter) in a submission.

Panel Discussions: A panel discussion is a preconceived and complete session of presenters discussing a topic or issue. Panel discussions should include: 1) a panel title; 2) an overall panel description; 3) participant contact information; 4) a rationale for the value of the panel. Panel discussions should include individuals representing multiple institutions rather than individuals from only one or two institutions. Further, a single person should not serve more than one role (i.e., chair, respondent, or presenter) in a submission.

All submitters are encouraged to review the Professional Standards for Convention Participants prior to submission. Helpful resources, including step-by-step instructions on how to submit, definitions of different submission types, and how to prepare a blind submission, are available in the NCA Convention Resource Library at www.natcom.org/conventionresources. All submissions must be made online through NCA Convention Central, and must list any A/V requirements at the time of submission. Check your email address listed in NCA Convention Central before or after submission, as all correspondence goes there.

Further information about the LSI division can be found at our website: www.nca-lsi.org. For questions about this call, please contact the Vice-Chairs of the LSI division:

Natasha Shrikant, University of Colorado, Boulder: natasha.shrikant@colorado.edu

Lisa Mikesell, Rutgers University: lisa.mikesell@rutgers.edu