Closing session
Dear colleagues and friends,
As we reach the end of these truly intense, stimulating, and memorable days at the Lisbon Academy of Sciences, I want to share a few words of gratitude and reflection.
First and foremost,obrigada — thank you. On behalf of the organising committee, I thank each and every one of you for your presence, your contributions, your questions, your laughter in the hallways, and your passion for this field we all care about so deeply. This conference was made possible by the joint efforts of the Lisbon Academy of Sciences, NOVA University Lisbon, and the University of Lisbon. We are grateful you came, and we hope these past few days have brought you not only academic enrichment, but also the joy of meaningful conversations, new friendships, and the simple pleasure of being together again.
A few days ago, the President of the Academy told me, ‘The Academy feels alive.’ And I must say: having you here — filling these rooms, the claustro, with ideas, questions, dialogue — and yes, with lexicography — was profoundly moving. There is no greater satisfaction than seeing these historic walls echo with new energy. And even more than that: hearing them echo with talk about dictionaries.
This year, we welcomed 135 participants from across the globe. Out of 123 submitted abstracts, 100 were selected through a double-blind peer-review process. The final programme included 72 papers in English, 10 in Castilian, 14 in French, and 4 in Portuguese — along with 14 poster presentations. Our keynote speakers — Philip Durkin, Simeon Tsolakidis, and Marco Passarotti — reminded us of the depth and breadth of our discipline and challenged us to think beyond what we thought we knew.
As Alina mentioned in the opening session, this conference was born three years ago from a shared conviction among the four of us — Alina, Esperança, Rute, and myself — that Lisbon could host an edition worthy of the ICHLL legacy. We chose the theme “Selected Pages from Selected Dictionaries” because we believed it captured both the scholarly rigour and the poetry of our field.
Of course, it wasn’t always easy… And yes, we know that not everything went exactly as we had hoped. But still — we can, and should, be proud of what we accomplished together. A very special thank you goes to Alina — for her creativity, for delighting us with verses, popular rhymes, pages from Bluteau, and even manjericos. To be honest, I’m still not entirely sure I believe it all actually happened… More than once, I caught myself thinking: Is this really happening? Am I dreaming? Dear colleagues, we did it!
And now, the most important thing.
My heart is full of joy when I think about our staff. None of this would have been possible without this extraordinary team (dizer os nomes). They were tireless, dedicated, and simply brilliant.
A very special thank you goes to Leonor Reis and Leonor Martins, who, for the past months, traded their usual lexicographic tasks for the equally demanding — and often unpredictable — work of organising this conference. And now, finally, we return to what we love most. Back to our dictionaries! Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. There are no words strong enough to express my gratitude.
To our support staff — let us say this loudly and clearly: you are the best. Some may believe this conference was all about dictionaries — and yes, it was — but it was also about patience, resilience, and grace under pressure. About managing every surprise with calm, good humour, and generosity. You did all that — and so much more. Please, a huge round of applause for this incredible team.
We leave this conference with fuller notebooks, buzzing minds, and yes, perhaps a bit of fatigue — but above all, we leave inspired. We hope you carry Lisbon with you in your hearts: the ideas you heard, the people you met, and the feeling that you were part of something truly meaningful.
This is not goodbye — it’s just até breve.
We’ll meet again: in another city, with other words, new questions, new dictionaries — but with the same enduring passion for the lexicon.
Safe travels. And once again obrigada!
Ana Salgado
