SWOWXL-2026 · Geneva Workshop

About the Workshop

The Small World of Words (SWOW) workshop will bring together SWOW members from various language teams for a full day of exchange and coordination around shared research practices and ongoing projects.

This fully hybrid workshop will span two sessions and culminate in the draft of a SWOW guidelines document, covering various topics including project operations, FAIR data, and publishing.

The morning session will include team introductions and a group discussion on key practical challenges related to data, participant recruitment, and onboarding. Each of these topics will be workshopped prior to the meeting. The afternoon session will feature presentations from experts working on word associations of different sign languages, big team science, and participant outreach/recruitment.

Learn more about SWOW →

View of Lake Geneva with the Swiss Alps in the background — Photo by Foto-Falk, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Program

All times are Central European Summer Time (CEST · UTC+2). See the timezone table below.

Morning Session

Practical Aspects

09:00 – 12:30

09:00 – 09:10

Welcome and Opening Remarks

Introduction to the morning session and its objectives

09:10 – 11:00

Opening Plenary — Team Introductions

Each language team presents a brief introduction to themselves, their current work, and future plans

11:00 – 11:15

Coffee break

11:15 – 11:30

SWOW's Mission

Brief overview of the project’s mission for the next 5 years and feedback session

11:30 – 12:30

Group Discussion — Key Practical Challenges

Discussion of shared issues and strategies relating to:

Data — data cleaning, management, and practical workflows
Participant recruitment — including A/B testing results
Onboarding — review and approval of shared guidelines

12:30 – 14:00 Lunch Break — Atrium of Campus Biotech

Afternoon Session

Science Presentations

14:00 – 16:00

14:00 – 14:15

Welcome and Afternoon Outline

Introduction to the afternoon session and its objectives

14:15 – 14:45

Mapping another modality: challenges and opportunities for free association in signed languages

Dr. Hope Morgan & Dr. Brendan Costello

14:45 – 15:15

When Linguistics Gets Big: Opportunities, Tradeoffs, and Practicalities

Dr. Erin Buchanan

15:15 – 15:45

Social media engagement and outreach: experiences from the NCCR Evolving Language

Célia Lazzarotto

15:45 – 16:00

Closing Remarks

Timezone Reference

City / Region	UTC	Morning	Lunch	Afternoon
Zurich / Paris / Berlin / Rome	+2	09:00 – 12:30	12:30 – 14:00	14:00 – 16:00
London (BST)	+1	08:00 – 11:30	11:30 – 13:00	13:00 – 15:00
São Paulo (BRT)	−3	04:00 – 07:30	07:30 – 09:00	09:00 – 11:00
New York (EDT)	−4	03:00 – 06:30	06:30 – 08:00	08:00 – 10:00
Los Angeles (PDT)	−7	00:00 – 03:30	03:30 – 05:00	05:00 – 07:00
Dubai (GST)	+4	11:00 – 14:30	14:30 – 16:00	16:00 – 18:00
Delhi (IST)	+5:30	12:30 – 16:00	16:00 – 17:30	17:30 – 19:30
Beijing / Singapore	+8	15:00 – 18:30	18:30 – 20:00	20:00 – 22:00
Tokyo (JST)	+9	16:00 – 19:30	19:30 – 21:00	21:00 – 23:00
Sydney (AEST)	+10	17:00 – 20:30	20:30 – 22:00	22:00 – 00:00

Invited Speakers

Dr. Hope Morgan

Mapping another modality: challenges and opportunities for free association in signed languages

Research Associate & Project Leader (PI) of SemaSign, Universität Hamburg, Institute of German Sign Language (IDGS)

Dr. Brendan Costello

Mapping another modality: challenges and opportunities for free association in signed languages

Group Leader of the Sign Language and Deafness Team, Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language

Dr. Erin Buchanan

When Linguistics Gets Big: Opportunities, Tradeoffs, and Practicalities

Co-editor in Chief of Behavioral Research Methods

Célia Lazzarotto

Social media engagement and outreach: experiences from the NCCR Evolving Language

Communication Officer for NCCR Evolving Language

Participating Teams

Participation is currently expected from the teams listed below.

Currently expected in person: American Sign Language; Cantonese; Dutch / Flemish / Bilingual English / Names; French; German; German, Kenyan, and Guinea Bissau Sign Languages (DGS, KSL, LGG); Rioplatense Spanish; Spanish Sign Language.

Currently expected online: Afrikaans; Arabic; American English; Australian English; Basque; Cantonese; Cross-cultural; German, Kenyan, and Guinea Bissau Sign Languages (DGS, KSL, LGG); Hindi; Indonesian; Isayusay / Developmental; Italian; Japanese; Kazakh; Korean; Mandarin; Portuguese; Rioplatense Spanish; Singapore English; SemaSign team; Slovenian; Spanish; Spanish Sign Language; Turkish; Vietnamese.

Venue & Logistics

Location

Campus Biotech
Chemin des Mines 9
1202 Genève, Switzerland

Google Maps →

Schedule

Arrive by 08:45
Morning session: Room H8-01-C
Afternoon session: Room H8-01-D
Zoom links provided to registered participants

Lunch

Lunch is self-catered. A cafeteria and café are available on-site with daily menu options.

Campus Biotech dining →

Accommodation

Several hotels are conveniently located near Campus Biotech.

Download hotel list →

Register

Complete the registration form to confirm your attendance and let us know your preferences.

Registration Form

Questions? Contact abigail.licata@unige.ch