Abstract submission now OPEN for the Many Paths to Language Conference

The conference will be held in a hybrid format, allowing both presenters and audience members to participate either in person or remotely.
 

Call for abstracts: submit by 15 May 2026

The deadline for abstract submission is Friday May 15th at midnight (anywhere in the world). Authors will be notified of presentation decisions by Friday July 17, 2026. To submit, please follow this link. We strongly encourage early submission and look forward to receiving contributions from researchers across disciplines.
 

About MPAL 2026

This conference focuses on meaningful differences in the way children acquire language. MPAL 2026 will explore multiple sources of variation in early language development, including:

•    Children’s linguistic and cultural environments
•    Cognitive maturation
•    The structural properties of the languages being acquired
•    The implications of such variation for the mechanisms that drive and support native language acquisition

Despite the remarkable robustness of language learning, children grow up in widely varying contexts. MPAL 2026 aims to deepen our understanding of how acquisition succeeds in the face of this variability. Registration for both conference and pre-conference workshop will open on Friday July 17, 2026. Both in-person and online participation is possible but in-person places are limited, so please register early.

Invited speakers and symposium

We are already delighted to welcome:

•    Allison Fitch (Rochester Institute of Technology)
•    Amanda Seidl (University of Delaware)

Their expertise in language acquisition research promises to spark engaging discussions throughout the conference. MPAL 2026 will also feature a special symposium dedicated to the Acquisition Sketch Project, an initiative aimed at increasing knowledge about the acquisition of understudied languages. The symposium will highlight a selection of acquisition sketches, some completed and others still in progress. We especially encourage researchers working on acquisition sketches to submit an abstract for this special session.
 

Join us

Whether you are investigating environmental variation, cognitive development, structural linguistic diversity, or the mechanisms underlying language learning, MPAL 2026 provides a vibrant platform for sharing research and fostering collaboration. For full details and submission information, please visit the conference website: https://www.mpi.nl/events/many-paths-language-mpal-2026

We look forward to welcoming you in October 2026: in Nijmegen or online!