By Nazrinzulaiqa Hasbi
KUCHING: The Faculty of Language and Communication (FLC), Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) is hosting the third International Conference on Language Studies 2021 (iCLS2021).
The virtual conference started yesterday (Sept 8) and will continue today (Sept 9). This year’s theme is ‘Language Sustainability: Reality, Challenges, and Directions in the Digital Technology Era’.
Present to officiate at the event yesterday was Unimas vice-chancellor Professor Datuk Dr Mohamad Kadim Suaidi. He also expressed his gratitude and deepest appreciation to those involved in the conference.
“This conference is very significant with the vision and mission of Unimas as a leading global university for future sustainability.
“I hope that the presenters and participants can take advantage of this platform to discuss and share ideas in line with the theme of the conference,” he added.
Fifty-five papers will be presented, discussed and eventually published on the latest research findings in related academic disciplines.
The conference offers the opportunities for researchers and participants in the field of language and cultural studies to share research results and innovations, form multidisciplinary collaborations, and discuss various issues related to language and cultural preservation and current or future practices in this digital technology era.
“Apart from presenters from Malaysia, there are presenters from Singapore, Thailand, Brunei and Germany.
“I am confident, the diversity of backgrounds of academics coming from various countries will make this conference more meaningful and rewarding,” added Kadim.
FLC hoped that this virtual experience will pave the way for more initiatives to empower those with an interest in language, culture and society despite the strict travel restrictions imposed locally and globally these days.
The conference was attended by language educators, students, trainees, university lecturers, professors, academics and policymakers from all over the world.
Also present was the esteemed group of keynote speakers, Professor Emeritus Datuk Paduka Dr Hashim Hj Musa from Pusat Kecemerlangan Kajian Melayu (Universiti Malaya), Dr Rusmadi Baharudin from Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, and Professor Dr Chihiro Kinoshita Thomson from University of New South Wales, Sydney.
