History

HEL-LEX is a series of symposia on English lexicography and lexical semantics organized by the VARIENG research unit and the Department of Modern Languages at the University of Helsinki. Four conferences have been organized so far. The first three in Finland in 2005, 2008 and 2012, and a fourth one in Oxford in 2015. All conferences enjoyed a considerable amount of attention by top international scholars in the field.

Hel-Lex 1

The first HEL-LEX symposium was held in Helsinki in March 2005. Organized by Rod McConchie and a committee composed of Leena Kahlas-Tarkka, Matti Kilpiö, Heli Tissari, Jukka Tyrkkö, Alaric Hall, and Seija Kerttula, HEL-LEX was envisioned as an opportunity both to fill a gap in the field of lexicographical conferences and to bring together the expertise of scholars and professional dictionary makers. With participants from more than ten countries and excellent plenary presentations by Gabriele Stein, Zoltan Kövecses and Ian Lancashire, the symposium was a great success and gave impetus for a second HEL-LEX event.

The proceedings of the symposium, edited by Rod McConchie, Heli Tissari, Olga Timofeeva and Tanja Säily, were published under the title Selected Proceedings of the 2005 Symposium on New Approaches in English Historical Lexis (HEL-LEX) by Cascadilla Prooceedings Project in 2006.

Hel-Lex 2

The second HEL-LEX symposium was organized in Lammi in April 2008. The organizing committee was largely the same as for HEL-LEX 1, with Rod McConchie heading the team of composed of Alexandra Fodor, Alaric Hall, Marianna Hintikka, Alpo Honkapohja, Leena Kahlas-Tarkka, Matti Kilpiö, Anneli Meurman-Solin, Minna Nevala, Tanja Säily, Olga Timofeeva, Heli Tissari, and Jukka Tyrkkö. Participants once again came from far and wide, and we again enjoyed excellent plenary papers, this time by Dieter Kastovsky, Elizabeth Knowles, and Julie Coleman.

The Selected Proceedings of the 2008 Symposium on New Approached in English Historical Lexis (HEL-LEX 2), edited by Rod McConchie, Jukka Tyrkkö and Alpo Honkapohja, were published in April 2009 by Cascadilla Proceedings Project.

Hel-Lex 3

The third HEL-LEX symposium was organized once again in Finland in March 2012. This time the venue was the Zoological Station of Tvärminne in the Swedish-speaking coastal areas of Finland. The organising committee consisted of Rod McConchie, Jukka Tyrkkö, Teo Juvonen, Samuli Kaislaniemi, Mark Kaunisto, Tanja Säily, Alpo Honkapohja, Leena Kahlas-Tarkka, Alexandra Fodor, Minna Nevala, Seija Tiisala, Matti Kilpiö and Olga Timofeeva. Delegates came from all over the world, and were treated to excellent papers, including plenaries by Lynda Mugglestone, Philip Durkin and Michael Adams.

As with the three previous conferences in Finland, The Selected Proceedings of the 2012 Symposium on New Approached in English Historical Lexis (HEL-LEX 3), were published by Cascadilla Proceedings Project. This time they were edited by R. W. McConchie, Teo Juvonen, Mark Kaunisto, Minna Nevala, and Jukka Tyrkkö.

Ox-Lex 4

In a striking departure, the fourth symposium in the HEL-LEX series was held in March  2015 at Pembroke College, Oxford. The organisers were Lynda Mugglestone, Philip Durkin, Kathryn Allan, and Edmund Weiner. Excellent plenary lectures were delived by Clive Upton, Toni Healey and John Simpson.