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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma">Dear Friends and Colleagues,<o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma;mso-fareast-font-family:
"Times New Roman"">The ISHL President and Conference Director, Aditi Lahiri, has contacted me to say that, because of Covid-19, the Oxford ICHL Committee (of which
I am not part, in order to avoid any conflict of interest with my duties as Secretary of ISHL) wish to postpone ICHL 25 from next summer to summer 2022. I have consulted the Executive Committee and the Nominating Committee, both of which are unanimous in
regarding this as a sensible and appropriate proposal, given the uncertainty about travel, large gatherings, and subsequent peaks of the virus, which may take us well into next year. We have therefore agreed that the new dates for the Conference will be Monday,
1 August 2022 to Friday, 5 August 2022 (with optional excursions on Saturday, 6 August). <o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma;mso-fareast-font-family:
"Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma;mso-fareast-font-family:
"Times New Roman"">As you know, it is the Society’s normal practice to consult its members before making significant changes to the way it operates.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">
</span>However, this is a ‘one-off’ case of <i>force majeure</i>, and the Oxford organizers needed a more or less immediate response from the Society’s committees, so that they could rebook the conference venues.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">
</span>I apologize to anyone who may be inconvenienced by this change, and ask for your understanding.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">
</span>I hope that all members of ISHL and the HistLing list are safe and well in these difficult times.<o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma;mso-fareast-font-family:
"Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma;mso-fareast-font-family:
"Times New Roman"">With all good wishes,<o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma;mso-fareast-font-family:
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma;mso-fareast-font-family:
"Times New Roman"">John Charles Smith<o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma;mso-fareast-font-family:
"Times New Roman"">Secretary, ISHL<o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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"Times New Roman""><o:p><span style="font-size: 10pt;"></span></o:p></span></p>
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">—</span><br>
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<div class="PlainText"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">John Charles Smith</span><br>
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">St Catherine's College, Oxford, OX1 3UJ, UK</span><br>
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">Research Centre for Romance Linguistics, University of Oxford</span><br>
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">College phone: +44 1865 271700; College Fax: +44 1865 271768</span></div>
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