Workshop on Immigrant Languages in the Americas 16
October 2-4, 2025
University of Stavanger
Contact information:
David Natvig: [email protected]
Yvonne van Baal: [email protected]
October 2-4, 2025
University of Stavanger
Contact information:
David Natvig: [email protected]
Yvonne van Baal: [email protected]
WILA 16 was made possible by financial support from The Research Council of Norway, Vitenskapsakademiet i Stavanger, FLUENT - Fleirspråkleg utvikling og endring i nyare tid, and the Department of Cultural Studies and Languages at the University of Stavanger.
Information for travel
The conference starts at 9am on October 2nd. Stavanger airport (Norwegian Stavanger lufthavn Sola) has daily and frequent connections to the airports in Oslo, Copenhagen (Denmark), Amsterdam (the Netherlands) and Frankfurt (Germany). These large international airports have connections to most places in Europe and the US. In case of a step over in Oslo, you may have to collect and check in your luggage, depending on the airline you fly with.
Keynote speaker
Roberta D'Alessandro will deliver the Janne Bondi Johannessen Celebration Lecture. This lecture will be held in memory of Prof. Janne Bondi Johannessen, founder of WILA, and is intended to honor someone who embodies Janne’s values, especially collaboration, involvement with and encouragement of younger scholars, and dedicated contribution to the full spectrum of heritage language linguistics.
Please find links to the conference program and book of abstracts. There is no conference fee.
How to get from airport to town
To travel from Stavanger airport to the city center, we recommend the Flybussen (FB40). The bus leaves every 20 minutes from the airport and takes around 25 minutes to the city center. You find the bus right in front of the terminal. When staying in a hotel downtown, the closest Flybuss-stops are ‘Olav Vs gate (Radisson Blue)’, ‘Stavanger byterminal’ or ‘Klubbgata’. Tickets can be bought at the bus or pre-booked online here. It is cheaper to buy the ticket online. When buying a ticket, you need to select a specific time, but you can take an earlier/later bus on the same day if necessary.
It is also possible to take a taxi from the airport, but more expensive than the bus. Taxis can be found between the terminal and the parking garage. In case you want to pre-book a taxi, a list of taxi companies can be found here.
Travel in Stavanger
The local bus company is called Kolumbus. The easiest way to buy tickets is through the app ‘Kolumbus Billett’, where you can use a bank card (Visa or Mastercard) to pay for tickets. It is also possible to buy tickets at the Kolumbus service desk at Stavanger city center (at the central bus station called Byterminalen), or to buy tickets cash at the bus driver (with an extra fee). There are single tickets (valid for one hour) and 24-hour tickets. When doing just two travels a day (e.g. to and from university), single tickets are cheaper. When buying a ticket in the app, chose zone ‘Nord-Jæren’.
To travel from downtown to the university, you take bus 6 (direction Sandnes), bus 7 (direction Sola) or bus X60 (direction Sandnes) from the city center (bus stop ‘Jernbaneveien’). The bus stop at the university is called UiS Øst.
Suggested hotels
We recommend staying in Stavanger city center, which is close to the location of the conference on two of the days. It is also easy to travel to, both from university and from the airport. There are many options for hotels here, including the following:
Alternative options are:
Maps/Info about conference locations
On Thursday October 2nd and Saturday October 4th, WILA will be at the Archeological Museum in the city center of Stavanger. The address is Peder Klows gate 30A and the museum is within walking distance from the hotels in the city center. WILA will take place in the auditorium, which is directly on your right when entering the museum.
On Friday October 3rd, WILA will be at the University of Stavanger. See above for bus routes. We will be in the building called SIS Studenthus, in meeting room ‘Kollektivet’. You’ll find the meeting room on the ground floor, on your left-hand side when entering the building. A map of the campus indicating the room can be found here.
Ideas for restaurants
Stavanger has some really good restaurants located in and near the downtown area. Most places offer some kind of vegetarian option and can adapt to special diets. In our experience Matmagasinet and Sirkus Renaa are particularly flexible. Some of our other favorites are:
Zouq: Pakistani (note that they do not serve alcohol)
Spisoh: South Indian
Gådjå: Ethiopian
Lai by Noodle Noodle: Asian Fusion
Villa 22: Pizza and Italian
Citra: Pizza
Mexico Restaurant: the name says it all
Lervig Local: A pub serving many different types of beer from the local brewery Lervig, also serving some burgers, nachos and snacks.
There are many different restaurants in Vågen, along the waterfront, including Fisketorget and Skagen Fiskerestaurant for seafood, Burger&Beers and Døgnvill for burgers, and Egon and Olivia for places with many options.
There are also a number of good options on Pedersgata, almost too many to list.
Things to do that are nearby
Fargegata: this ‘color street’ is famous for its wooden, colorful buildings housing shops, restaurants and bars. The area around Fargegate is also nice to walk through, as is the oldest part of town (Gamle Stavanger) which is located close by.
The Stavanger Cathedral (Domkirke) has recently been renovated and is celebrating 900 years of history this year.
Rødne Fjordcruise offers cruises on Lysefjorden, where you can see the famous fjord and Preikestolen (Pulpit rock) from the fjord. The cruise takes a few hours, so this is an option if you have some extra time around the conference.
Museums, including: Archeological Museum, the Norwegian Petroleum Museum, Stavanger Maritime Museum, IDDIS Norwegian Canning Museum, Stavanger City Museum, and Stavanger Art Museum. The latter is located at a small lake (Mosvannet), with a nice walking path around it that is also worth a visit.
Hiking
Weather
Weather in Stavanger can vary substantially throughout the day and from day to day. Be prepared for potentially heavy rain and strong wind, but also the possibility for some sunshine. You can check the weather forecast (ca. 10 days in advance) here, on the website of the Norwegian meteorological institute.
2025 is a commemoration year for multiple occasions. First, WILA celebrates its 15th year anniversary since its inception in 2010, beginning as a workshop on Norwegian and Germanic immigrant language structures and over the years expanding to include more language families and more themes and perspectives that are relevant for the study of immigrant and heritage languages. Second, this year marks the 200-year anniversary of what is recognized as the first organized emigration from Norway to the United States, with the departure of the Restauration from Stavanger July 4, 1825. Finally, the city of Stavanger itself celebrates 900 years by commemorating the completion of the cathedral, Stavanger domkirke, and the formation of the Diocese of Stavanger in 1125. We would therefore like to take advantage of this spirit of reflection, and encourage presenters to touch on how the study of language, migration, community, and history over the past 15 to 20 years has developed and lead to a better understanding of structural and social aspects of linguistic patterns.
Information for travel
The conference starts at 9am on October 2nd. Stavanger airport (Norwegian Stavanger lufthavn Sola) has daily and frequent connections to the airports in Oslo, Copenhagen (Denmark), Amsterdam (the Netherlands) and Frankfurt (Germany). These large international airports have connections to most places in Europe and the US. In case of a step over in Oslo, you may have to collect and check in your luggage, depending on the airline you fly with.
Keynote speaker
Roberta D'Alessandro will deliver the Janne Bondi Johannessen Celebration Lecture. This lecture will be held in memory of Prof. Janne Bondi Johannessen, founder of WILA, and is intended to honor someone who embodies Janne’s values, especially collaboration, involvement with and encouragement of younger scholars, and dedicated contribution to the full spectrum of heritage language linguistics.
Please find links to the conference program and book of abstracts. There is no conference fee.
How to get from airport to town
To travel from Stavanger airport to the city center, we recommend the Flybussen (FB40). The bus leaves every 20 minutes from the airport and takes around 25 minutes to the city center. You find the bus right in front of the terminal. When staying in a hotel downtown, the closest Flybuss-stops are ‘Olav Vs gate (Radisson Blue)’, ‘Stavanger byterminal’ or ‘Klubbgata’. Tickets can be bought at the bus or pre-booked online here. It is cheaper to buy the ticket online. When buying a ticket, you need to select a specific time, but you can take an earlier/later bus on the same day if necessary.
It is also possible to take a taxi from the airport, but more expensive than the bus. Taxis can be found between the terminal and the parking garage. In case you want to pre-book a taxi, a list of taxi companies can be found here.
Travel in Stavanger
The local bus company is called Kolumbus. The easiest way to buy tickets is through the app ‘Kolumbus Billett’, where you can use a bank card (Visa or Mastercard) to pay for tickets. It is also possible to buy tickets at the Kolumbus service desk at Stavanger city center (at the central bus station called Byterminalen), or to buy tickets cash at the bus driver (with an extra fee). There are single tickets (valid for one hour) and 24-hour tickets. When doing just two travels a day (e.g. to and from university), single tickets are cheaper. When buying a ticket in the app, chose zone ‘Nord-Jæren’.
To travel from downtown to the university, you take bus 6 (direction Sandnes), bus 7 (direction Sola) or bus X60 (direction Sandnes) from the city center (bus stop ‘Jernbaneveien’). The bus stop at the university is called UiS Øst.
Suggested hotels
We recommend staying in Stavanger city center, which is close to the location of the conference on two of the days. It is also easy to travel to, both from university and from the airport. There are many options for hotels here, including the following:
- Scandic Stavanger Park, Scandic Stavanger City or Scandic Royal Stavanger
- Thon Stavanger or Thon Maritim
- Radisson Blue
- Hotel Victoria
- Comfort Hotel Square
Alternative options are:
- Ydalir hotel at the university campus. Please note that we will only be on campus during one of the conference days, and there are no options for dinner in or around this hotel.
- Stavanger Forum Hotel and Clarion Hotel Energy could be somewhat cheaper, but these hotels require the use of public transport to both university campus and the city center.
Maps/Info about conference locations
On Thursday October 2nd and Saturday October 4th, WILA will be at the Archeological Museum in the city center of Stavanger. The address is Peder Klows gate 30A and the museum is within walking distance from the hotels in the city center. WILA will take place in the auditorium, which is directly on your right when entering the museum.
On Friday October 3rd, WILA will be at the University of Stavanger. See above for bus routes. We will be in the building called SIS Studenthus, in meeting room ‘Kollektivet’. You’ll find the meeting room on the ground floor, on your left-hand side when entering the building. A map of the campus indicating the room can be found here.
Ideas for restaurants
Stavanger has some really good restaurants located in and near the downtown area. Most places offer some kind of vegetarian option and can adapt to special diets. In our experience Matmagasinet and Sirkus Renaa are particularly flexible. Some of our other favorites are:
Zouq: Pakistani (note that they do not serve alcohol)
Spisoh: South Indian
Gådjå: Ethiopian
Lai by Noodle Noodle: Asian Fusion
Villa 22: Pizza and Italian
Citra: Pizza
Mexico Restaurant: the name says it all
Lervig Local: A pub serving many different types of beer from the local brewery Lervig, also serving some burgers, nachos and snacks.
There are many different restaurants in Vågen, along the waterfront, including Fisketorget and Skagen Fiskerestaurant for seafood, Burger&Beers and Døgnvill for burgers, and Egon and Olivia for places with many options.
There are also a number of good options on Pedersgata, almost too many to list.
Things to do that are nearby
Fargegata: this ‘color street’ is famous for its wooden, colorful buildings housing shops, restaurants and bars. The area around Fargegate is also nice to walk through, as is the oldest part of town (Gamle Stavanger) which is located close by.
The Stavanger Cathedral (Domkirke) has recently been renovated and is celebrating 900 years of history this year.
Rødne Fjordcruise offers cruises on Lysefjorden, where you can see the famous fjord and Preikestolen (Pulpit rock) from the fjord. The cruise takes a few hours, so this is an option if you have some extra time around the conference.
Museums, including: Archeological Museum, the Norwegian Petroleum Museum, Stavanger Maritime Museum, IDDIS Norwegian Canning Museum, Stavanger City Museum, and Stavanger Art Museum. The latter is located at a small lake (Mosvannet), with a nice walking path around it that is also worth a visit.
Hiking
Weather
Weather in Stavanger can vary substantially throughout the day and from day to day. Be prepared for potentially heavy rain and strong wind, but also the possibility for some sunshine. You can check the weather forecast (ca. 10 days in advance) here, on the website of the Norwegian meteorological institute.
2025 is a commemoration year for multiple occasions. First, WILA celebrates its 15th year anniversary since its inception in 2010, beginning as a workshop on Norwegian and Germanic immigrant language structures and over the years expanding to include more language families and more themes and perspectives that are relevant for the study of immigrant and heritage languages. Second, this year marks the 200-year anniversary of what is recognized as the first organized emigration from Norway to the United States, with the departure of the Restauration from Stavanger July 4, 1825. Finally, the city of Stavanger itself celebrates 900 years by commemorating the completion of the cathedral, Stavanger domkirke, and the formation of the Diocese of Stavanger in 1125. We would therefore like to take advantage of this spirit of reflection, and encourage presenters to touch on how the study of language, migration, community, and history over the past 15 to 20 years has developed and lead to a better understanding of structural and social aspects of linguistic patterns.
