- The LSA's 2009 Annual Meeting has been moved to San Francisco due to an ongoing labor dispute affecting the Portland Hilton. The host hotel will be the San Francisco Hilton. The LSA will enjoy the same excellent room rate--$99/night single or double, $129/night triple or quad--that we were to have had in Portland. More information
- Nominations for the Leonard Bloomfield Book Award are due 1 June, 2008.
- Nominations for the LSA's "Linguistics, Language and the Public" Award will be accepted until 1 June, 2008.
Why Join the Linguistic Society of America?
Larry M. Hyman
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Short Answer: If you are concerned about language, you can’t afford not to.
The Linguistic Society of America is the major professional society in the United States that is exclusively dedicated to the advancement of the scientific study of language. As such, the LSA plays a critical role in supporting and disseminating linguistic scholarship, as well as facilitating the application of current research to scientific, educational, and social issues concerning language. Language is a defining characteristic of the human species and impacts virtually all aspects of human experience. For this reason linguists seek not only to discover properties of language in general and of languages in particular but also strive to understand the interface of the phenomenon of language with culture, cognition, history, literature, and so forth. With nearly 6,000 members, the LSA speaks on behalf of the field of linguistics and also serves as an advocate for sound educational and political policies that affect not only professionals and students of language, but virtually all segments of society. Founded in 1924, the LSA has on many occasions made the case to governments, universities, foundations, and the public to support linguistic research and to see that our scientific discoveries are effectively applied. As part of its outreach activities, the LSA attempts to provide information and educate both officials and the public about language. The Society serves as a linguistic watchdog on press reports and city, state, and federal policies that concern language and languages in the U.S. In this connection, the LSA has issued statements and resolutions on matters such as language rights, the English-only/English-plus debate, bilingual education, and Ebonics. The Society has been a strong proponent of the documentation and revitalization of endangered languages both within the US and abroad. With more members, the LSA can speak with an even stronger voice. Whether you are a linguist or are interested in language for other reasons, an LSA membership is an investment in the scientific study of language.
1. What does the Linguistic Society of America do?
Short Answer: Three major things, but a lot more behind the scenes! Three major activities…
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The LSA publishes a quarterly journal, Language, (1,000 pages per year) consisting of major articles and shorter reports of original research, as well as review articles, book reviews, and book notices of recently published works. Journal articles cover all areas of the field and from all theoretical frameworks. Language is viewed as a prestigious publication and receives far more submissions than it can possibly publish.
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The LSA sponsors an Annual Meeting in early January and a Summer Meeting in late June. The Summer Meeting is held biennially (alternating with the LSA Summer Institute (see below) and is geared toward issues of interest to graduate students. At the Annual Meeting, over 200 papers and posters are typically presented. Special events include the Presidential address, invited lectures, topical workshops, and the LSA business meeting. There is also a book exhibit and a job placement service. Other groups have chosen to hold their meetings at the same time (and typically within the same hotel), including the American Dialect Society (ADS), the American Name Society (ANS), the North American Association for the History of Language Sciences (NAAHoLS), the Society for Pidgin and Creole Linguistics, and the Society for the Study of the Indigenous Languages of the Americas (SSILA). Recent meetings have been in San Francisco (2002), Atlanta (2003), Boston (2004), Oakland (2005), and Albuquerque (2006).
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The LSA sponsors a biennial summer Linguistic Institute at which more than 400 participants (students and scholars) choose from a wide range of courses, seminars, and workshops presented by leading scholars in virtually every area of linguistics. With courses offered at all levels, institute attendees can explore new areas or catch up on recent developments in areas not offered at their home institutions. Recent LSA Linguistic Institutes have been held at Stanford University (2007), MIT/Harvard University (2005), Michigan State University (2003), and the University of California, Santa Barbara (2001).
A lot more…
The LSA is also committed to supporting its members in other ways. To this end, the Society has set up committees such as the following:
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The Advisory to Programs Committee provides assistance and/or information to any department or program whose future may be threatened or in jeopardy due to serious problems, financial or otherwise, at its institution.
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The Computing Committee keeps the membership informed of technological innovations in communications and linguistics-related computer hardware and software.
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The Committee on Endangered Languages and their Preservation (CELP) explores ways that individuals and institutions can offer assistance and support to maintain and revitalize language varieties in language communities at risk of, or currently experiencing, significant language or dialect loss; it assists institutions in offering training and degree programs oriented to the preparation of grammars and dictionaries of threatened and poorly documented languages.
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The Committee on Ethnic Diversity in Linguistics (CEDL) explores ways to promote greater ethnic diversity in linguistics, including communication, networking, and mentoring between minority students and professional linguists.
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The Committee on Language in the School Curriculum explores and pursues ways in which the linguistics community can have an effect on K-12 instruction in language-related topics, including grammar, reading, language arts, and linguistics.
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The Committee on Social and Political Concerns advises the Society on policies concerning official responses of the Society to such issues as political pressures affecting the ability of linguists to pursue their research and legislation concerning language or linguistic rights.
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The Committee on the Status of Women in Linguistics (COSWL) monitors and advances the status of women in linguistics and encourages research on women and language.
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The Undergraduate Program Advisory Committee facilitates the establishment and expansion of undergraduate programs in linguistics at universities, colleges, and community colleges.
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The Video Archive Committee oversees the development of a video archive that will be accessible on the web to provide information about language to the general public. LSA members will be encouraged to submit videos to the archive.
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The Web Advisory Committee monitors the Society’s website, which provides LSA-related information to members as well as general information about language for the public (e.g. Frequently Asked Questions about the field of linguistics).
The LSA also sponsors the Leonard Bloomfield Book Award; the Linguistics, Language, and the Public Award; the Kenneth L. Hale Award; and the Victoria A. Fromkin Prize for Distinguished Service. Behind-the-scenes activities of the LSA emanate from memberships and liaisons with other professional societies who share our commitment to scholarship. The officers of the Society (President, Vice-President, and Secretary-Treasurer), appointed members, and the Executive Director frequently attend meetings of other societies where they both represent the LSA and consult with others about on-going issues that affect us collectively.
For example, the LSA is a member of the Consortium of Social Science Associations, an organization that acts as liaison between the academic research community and the policy-making community in Washington, which determines what kinds of grants there will be for linguistic research. The LSA is similarly involved in the Coalition for National Science Funding, the National Humanities Alliance, and the American Council of Learned Societies. The Society organized a session at a recent National Council of Teachers of English convention and is collaborating with the Modern Language Association for a Language Summit, concerned with how one might change the public perception of language. There is an initiative underway to create a Virtual Museum of Language, an online resource that presents what is known about language to the general public.
2. What are the benefits of membership?
Joining the LSA is one of the best bargains found in any academic discipline. Members receive four issues of Language and are eligible to submit abstracts for the Annual LSA meetings and apply for tuition fellowships to the LSA Linguistic Institute. In addition, LSA members are now entitled to significant discounts on subscriptions to many journals of interest to linguists. There also is the intangible, but equally important, benefit that comes from knowing that membership supports the many significant educational and societal contributions of the LSA. As LSA President Ray Jackendoff put it in his welcoming remarks at the 2004 Annual Meeting, “The LSA is the institution that represents our profession to the rest of the country…If you aren’t already a member, JOIN! And get your friends and colleagues and students and teachers to join. It’s not only to your benefit but to our whole community, without whom we couldn’t have professional lives as individuals.”
