Harmonizing Meanings: Linguistics and Communication as Instruments for Multicultural Polylogue

The international conference “Harmonizing Meanings: Linguistics and Communication as Instruments for Multicultural Polylogue” (November 19–20, 2026, Yerevan State University) dedicated to the 35th anniversary of the foundation of the YSU Faculty of European Languages and Communication, brings together a wide range of scholarly perspectives on the dynamic relationship between language, culture, communication, and society. Jointly organized by Yerevan State University Chair of English Philology, Pyatigorsk State University Institute of Foreign Languages and International Tourism, and the Armenian Association for the Study of English, the conference provides an interdisciplinary academic framework for examining how meanings are created, conveyed, interpreted, negotiated, and transformed across linguistic and cultural boundaries.

The central concept of multicultural polylogue underlies the intellectual orientation of the conference. Going beyond the traditional understanding of dialogue as an exchange between two interlocutors, polylogue emphasizes the interaction of multiple cultural voices, perspectives, identities, and systems of meaning. Within this framework, language is considered not merely a means of communication but also a powerful instrument of cultural representation, social interaction, identity formation, knowledge transmission, and the negotiation of shared understanding. The conference explores how linguistic and communicative practices can facilitate intercultural encounters while preserving the distinctive characteristics of individual languages and cultures.