By Kim Tae-jong
Staff Repoter
An international conference on linguistics that runs through July 26 opened Monday at Korea University in Seoul, with 1,500 people from 70 countries participating.
The 18th International Congress of Linguists, organized by the Linguistic Society of Korea under the auspices of the Permanent International Committee of Linguists, will address topics in the field and provide an overview of the most important contemporary areas of research during the six-day conference.
Titled ``Unity and Diversity of Languages,'' there are eight plenary lectures, 10 parallel sessions on0 designated topics, and 19 workshops and general sessions.
The conference, held every five years, was convened for the first time in the Hague in 1928 and subsequently held in cities including Geneva, Rome, Copenhagen, Tokyo and Quebec.