The two-week program of the course covered a wide range of topics primarily in various fields of linguistics, including syntax, semantics, and phonology, ranging from the introductory level to advanced and research-oriented sessions. As a result, participants with varying levels of prior knowledge were all able to find what corresponded to their personal level of expertise, while they also had an opportunity to showcase their recent research findings.
- It was really delightful to see so many enthusiastic and gifted students and instructors even during the summer recess, and to observe participants from all over the world collaborating and supporting one another in their research. I do hope that the professional connections forged in Debrecen will help them in their future efforts, and that they will be able to cooperate by working on joint projects and publications in the future, too- said Balázs Venkovits, acting commissioner for international and academic affairs at the Faculty of Humanities (BTK) of the University of Debrecen and director of the faculty’s Institute of English and American Studies (AAI), following the conclusion of the course.
The abbreviation OVA is short for the Latin phrase Omnes Voces Acceptamus, which means “We welcome all voices.”
This shared mindset encapsuled in the name choice was also reflected in the diversity of the participants. The students, who are mostly enrolled in bachelor’s, master’s and PhD programs in their respective countries, came to Debrecen from sundry places, such as Austria, Brazil, Bulgaria, Ireland, Germany, Italy, Serbia, Slovenia and Turkey, among others, to enjoy top-quality lectures delivered by the members of an international pool of faculty.
Furthermore, at this year’s OVA, there were altogether 21 instructors from as many as 20 different universities, teaching courses in syntax, semantics, phonology, morphology and statistics.
- The organizing committee of OVA places special emphasis on making sure that, in addition to experienced professors, there should also be young researchers at the beginning of their careers present, having the opportunity to teach. By doing so, we aim not only to support the professional development of these young researchers, but also to enable students to meet a complex range of inspiring role models. We are particularly proud of the high academic standard of this year’s course offerings, as well as of the fact that quite a few participants attended four or even more classes each day- said Berit Gehrke, a lecturer at Humboldt University in Berlin, to hirek.unideb.hu.
Apart from the colorful student body, the faculty of instructors also reflected a rich diversity, as lecturers came to Debrecen not only from the universities of Barcelona, Berlin and Salzburg, but even from University College London and the University of Tromsø in Norway, while the current host institution was represented by Associate Professor Éva Kardos, on behalf of the Department of English Linguistics at DE BTK AAI.
- Preparing and hosting OVA 2026 was a major undertaking and a challenge for us, through which we could demonstrate that the Department of English Linguistics at the University of Debrecen continues to remain an integral part of the international linguistic academic community- said Péter Szűcs, Assistant Professor of the Department of English Linguistics at the Institute of English and American Studies, Faculty of Humanities, University of Debrecen. He was ae co-organizer of the event together with teaching assistant Andrea Szávó, while their work was supported by several student volunteers from IEAS.
As a matter of course, in addition to the educational activities, the organizers also did their best to help the students get to know our city and gain insight into Hungarian culture by sampling the finest dishes of Hungarian cuisine.
- Debrecen turned out to be an ideal location for hosting our international summer university. This city is easy to get around, even by walking, while it also has excellent restaurants, cafés, and bars, which provided great opportunities for group activities and casual conversations. The parks provided the perfect setting for lunch breaks and evening relaxation, and during the heatwave weekend, the water park offered a real respite for the participants. Overall, Debrecen has set the bar very high for future venues of the OVA Summer University,” added Magdalena Lohninger (University of Salzburg) on behalf of the OVA.
Both the faculty members and the students of IEAS have already been invited to next year’s event.
Press Center – BZs