Following the official opening of ICAME 46 and the thought-provoking plenary lecture by Rūta Petrauskaitė, participants took a well-earned break with coffee and informal discussion — the Faculty of Philology buzzing with energy, ideas, and new connections.

☕ Mid-morning discussions spilled naturally into the hallways and courtyard, as attendees reflected on Petrauskaitė’s reflections on corpus innovation—from COBUILD’s legacy to today’s AI-infused methodologies.

At 11:00, the first round of parallel sessions began, offering diverse thematic strands that showcased the depth and breadth of current corpus research:

• World Englishes: Talks explored rhoticity in Bahamian and Singaporean English, voice quality in Nigerian English, and register-sensitive features in global varieties.

• Tools & Resources: Presenters introduced new approaches to automatic metadata enrichment, collocation extraction, and voice-enabled corpus tools.

• Discourse & Register: Papers examined stance and style in political speech, stage directions in contemporary plays, and cross-genre variation in press texts.

The sessions were well-attended and energized, sparking discussions that spilled over into the lunch break.

Lunch Break at Restaurant Grey

At 13:00, participants headed to Restaurant "Grey" for a well-earned lunch. The lively conversations continued over local cuisine, with many already planning follow-up chats, collaborative projects, or tomorrow’s sessions. 

At Grey Restaurant, participants were greeted by the friendly and welcoming staff, who made everyone feel right at home. 😊 As they enjoyed their meals, attendees were also invited to discover Vilnius through taste and experience — with big projector screens in the lunch area showcasing the Top 10 things to do in Vilnius. 🍽️📽️

It was more than just a break — it was an invitation to explore the local culture, with helpful tips, mouthwatering visuals, and a warm local welcome that turned lunch into yet another highlight of the day. 🥗🍷 Whether planning dinner with new colleagues or picking a spot for a late-night bite, participants left the table inspired by both the food and the city.

The afternoon resumed with even more parallel panels from 14:30, continuing the day’s momentum and highlighting ICAME’s signature blend of empirical depth and collegial exchange.

Stay tuned for photos and highlights from the evening programme, including the walking tour of Vilnius and the welcome reception at Town Hall!

Greta Maslauskienė