21st Workshop on Structure and Constituency in Languages of the Americas (WSCLA 2016)

Deadline for abstract submission extended to December 20, 2015The 21st Workshop on Structure and Constituency in Languages of the Americas (WSCLA 2016) will take place at the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), Montréal, Canada, April 1-3, 2016.The Workshop on Structure and Constituency in Languages of the Americas (WSCLA) is an annual linguistics conference, which started in 1995. The central objective of WSCLA is to bring together linguists who are engaged in research on the formal study of the Aboriginal languages of the Americas in order to exchange ideas across theories, language families, generations of scholars, and across the academic and non-academic communities who are involved in language maintenance and revitalization.Abstracts are invited for papers in any area of formal linguistics (including phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics) within any theoretical framework. We welcome papers that address diachronic, sociolinguistic, or applied topics from a formal perspective, and we are especially interested in papers seeking to correlate the interests of formal linguists and the concerns of indigenous communities.The organizing committee for WSCLA 21 would also like to announce that this year’s meeting will include a special thematic session on Polysynthesis and Wordhood in Languages of the Americas. Abstracts which address this theme are particularly solicited, although abstracts on other topics are of course welcomed.We are pleased to announce the following confirmed invited speakers:Ryan Bennett (Yale)Brandon Fry (Ottawa, student guest speaker)Sarah E. Murray (Cornell)Kahtehrón:ni Stacey (Kanien'kehá:ka Onkwawén:na Raotitióhkhwa Language and Cultural Center)Martina Wiltschko (UBC) We expect a volume of conference proceedings to appear in the UBCWPL series.Abstracts should be submitted to the EasyChair website at this link:https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=wscla2016Abstract submission guidelines :- Please submit your abstract for a paper in .pdf format following the requirements listed below, before midnight EST on Dec. 20, 2015.- Abstracts should be anonymous. Author name(s) should not appear in the abstract or file name.- Abstracts should not exceed 2 pages in length including references and examples (minimum 12 pt font size, 1 inch margins).- Submissions are limited to two abstracts per author, including at most one single-authored abstract. (In other words, you may contribute to two co-authored abstracts, or one co-authored abstract plus one single-authored abstract.) 

Call for Chapters: Early Writing in Indigenous Languages

Call for Chapters!Early Writing in Indigenous Languages [Working Title]The lion’s share of the world’s living languages face a bleak future. A growing consensus of linguists predicts that by the close of the 21stcentury 50-90% will disappear. Efforts to reverse this trend are underway worldwide. The purpose of this edited volume is to provide case studies of revitalization efforts at schooling early writing among children between approx. 3 and 12 years in lesser-known languages from Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America.Prospective authors are invited to submit a 500 word abstract and a short list of resources about the selected language and culture in APA style as well as the following information: Your full name in the order you might wish it to appear in a publication, the name of your institution or tribal affiliation, your full office or home address, your email, and your mobile phone number (with country code). Email Abstract to: Arieh.Sherris@gmail.com with the following in the subject line: EARLY WRITING IN INDIGENOUS LANGUAGES ABSTRACTFirst drafts of future papers (7000-9000 words, not including bibliography) from selected abstracts would be required within 5-months of notification that your abstract has been accepted. Papers will go through double blind review.In the interest of clarity and possible future comparative study, your chapter, if you are asked to write one, will require the following structure:

  1. Brief introduction/rationale for paper
  2. Brief history of indigenous culture & people
  3. Brief description of the structure of the language
  4. Description of revitalization efforts
  5. Description of school and instructional writing practices
  6. Description of early writing
  7. A discussion exploring writing development with writing samples from children; samples could be drawn from a subset of ages anywhere between 3 and 12 years of age
  8. Promising exploratory directions for future revitalization efforts with respect to writing your language
  9. Resources (APA style)

 EditorAri Sherris is Visiting Fulbright Scholar (2015-16) at the University Education, Winneba, Ghana and Assistant Professor of Bilingual Education at Texas A&M University-Kingsville. His research explores the intersection of oracy, literacy, and language revitalization. His publications appear in Classroom Discourse, Intercultural Education, the International Review of Education (UNESCO), the Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, and Pedagogies: An International Journal. His practitioner digests for language teachers appear with the Center for Applied Linguistics, Washington, D.C. His book Language Endangerment: Disappearing Metaphors and Shifting Conceptualizations (2015) is published with John Benjamins.

Native American Texts Series available

IJAL_Banner_USE-THIS_300x250The Native American Texts Series is a collection of analyzed oral texts from the native languages of the Americas. The series, rare in print, was originally published as IJAL supplements from 1976-1980. In their original format, the texts are now digitized for ease of use. 10 original monographs are are available for download in printable PDF format for your desktop or e-reader.Available TitlesMayan Texts I, II, and III; Louanna Furbee (1976, 1979, 1980)Otomi Parables, Folktales, and Jokes; H. Russell Bernard and Jesús Salinas Pedraza (1976)Yuman Texts; Margaret Langdon (1976)Caddoan Texts; Douglas R. Parks (1977)Northern California Texts; Victor Golla and Shirley Silver (1977)Northwest Coast Texts; Barry F. Carlson (1977)Coyote Stories; William Bright (1978)Crow Texts; Dorothea V. Kaschube (1978)Northern Iroquoian Texts: Marianne Mithun and Hanni Woodbury (1980)Coyote Stories II; Martha B. Kendall (1980)These e-Books can be ordered online here, or by calling (773) 702-7000, or emailing custserv@press.uchicago.edu.For more information, contact Jennifer Ringblom at ringblom@uchicago.edu.Thank you for your continued interest and support of the International Journal of American Linguistics.

SSILA 2016 Outstanding Student Abstract Award

Adriana Molina-Muñoz and Rolando Coto-Solano have won the SSILA 2016 Outstanding Student Abstract Award for the abstract of their paper, "Ergative and Relativization in Bribri." Their achievement will be recognized by the Society at the SSILA Business Meeting, which begins at 2:00 Saturday, 1/9/16, in the Chinatown Room of the conference hotel.
Congratulations Adriana and Rolando.

This is the first time SSILA has given such a student award. In the future, we plan to make the award one that recognizes outstanding presentation of a student paper.

TILA Call for Proposals

The International Journal of American Linguistics is now accepting proposals for the Texts inIndigenous Languages of the Americas series, an annual supplement to the journal dedicated tothe presentation of analyzed oral texts from the indigenous languages of the Americas. We arenow taking proposals for a guest­-edited, thematically-­organized collection of texts to appear withVolume 84 (2018). TILA Call for proposals

Emmon Bach Memorial Symposium, SSILA 2016

Our esteemed and cherished colleague, Emmon Bach, was serving as elected President of the Society for the Study of the Indigenous Languages of the Americas (SSILA) at the time of his sudden passing in November 2014.  SSILA is hosting this special symposium in honour of his memory and of his many diverse contributions to scholarship based on his extensive work with the Native languages of North America and with Native communities engaged in language documentation, conservation, and revitalization.Following the paper presentations, there is a final session where friends, colleagues, former students can share memories and offer tributes. We warmly invite contributions - if you cannot attend in person, please send your thoughts (photos, etc.) in advance by e-mail to patricia.a.shaw@ubc.ca so they can be included. Many thanks.Emmon Bach Memorial Symposium

IJAL Text On-line

LA42 QIN4 KCHIN4

‘Prayer for the Community’recited by Simón Zurita Cruz

 

[IJAL Texts On-Line, vol. 1, number 1, August 2015]

 

Hilaria Cruz

University of Kentucky

 

This text is a prayer in San Juan Quiahije Chatino (SJQ) recited by city hall officials and elders in their official capacity as representatives of the community. It was recited by Simón Zurita Cruz, a member of the elder’s council, at 5:00 a.m., on June 24, 2009, in the Catholic Church in San Juan Quiahije. The recording of this prayer took place as the event transpired. The recitation was performed in the presence of municipal officials, elders, and community members.

 

About IJAL Texts On-line

 

The IJAL Texts On-line series is dedicated to presenting individual analyzed texts from the indigenous languages of the Americas in digitized, world-accessible form. Published on an occasional basis, the series consists of interlinearized short- to medium-length texts paired with audio recordings and short commentary, as well as brief notes on the language itself. All contributions are peer-reviewed.

 

Contributions

Proposals for submission of texts can be submitted to the Editorial office and should include a short abstract of the text, a indication of its length (number of lines), and a list of supplemental materials (maps, grammatical notes, etc.). There is no restriction as to subject matter, and texts from a variety of genres including myths, legends, rituals, and personal narratives are welcome. Where appropriate, contributors will be required to demonstrate that appropriate permissions for the publication of these materials have been obtained.

Texts are presented in four- or five-line interlinear format following IJAL style. Preference will be given to texts for which recordings with time-aligned transcripts can be provided. For final production and publication, contributors will be required to provide suitably-formatted HTML documents following IJAL specifications. Please contact the Editorial office for details.

Registration and Accommodation for SSILA 2016

Pre-registration for the SSILA Annual Meeting begins today, October 1, via the Linguistic Society of America website.  Pre-registration rates are good through December 18.Regular/Emeritus/Life Members: $220Student Members: $78Under/Unemployed Members: $85Nonmember - Regular: $320Nonmember - Student: $130If you are an LSA member:  Please log in and register.If you are not an LSA member:  Please go to the Linguistic Society of America Annual Meeting page and click on the red “Register for Meeting” button at the top of the page.  To get the LSA member rate, enter one of the following coupon codes prior to checkout:  LSA2016SSREGULAR for regular SSILA members, or LSA2016SSSTUDENT for student SSILA members.AccommodationsSSILA members may take advantage of the sleeping room rate negotiated by the LSA for the Marriott Marquis. The rate is $115 night single or double, $125 triple, $135 quad. Full details, instructions, and links for online hotel room reservation will be available on the Annual Meeting web site as of September 1. SSILA attendees may reserve a room online at a dedicated Marriott Marquis reservations website or by phone.  It is important that SSILA members use the dedicated website if reserving a room online, or mention the Linguistic Society of America rate when reserving by phone, in order to take advantage of the special rate and concessions the LSA has negotiated for attendees.   

Position at University of Virginia: Linguistic Anthropology

U.Va.-linguistic-anthropology-position-announcementThe Department of Anthropology seeks to hire a linguistic anthropologist at the rank of Assistant Professor. We seek a colleague with expertise in the rigorous, fine-grained structural analysis of speech at any level from phonetics to discourse, and who is committed to integrating this with anthropological theory in order to speak to larger questions about the nature of language and social life. We prefer a focus on language use in communities that are under-studied and under-represented in traditional areas of the academy; for example, indigenous languages in post-colonial contexts, or minority language varieties within nation-states. Geographic area and sub-topical specialization within linguistic anthropology are open, but preference will be given to candidates whose research and teaching interests complement those of the Department. This new colleague will join with existing linguistic anthropology faculty in maintaining a vibrant subdisciplinary presence within the Anthropology Department while fostering connections with other areas of the University, centrally including (but not limited to) the interdepartmental Linguistics M.A. program and undergraduate major.Required: Candidates must have an ongoing program of research and publication with a focus on language in its sociocultural context that integrates in-depth analysis of language data with larger theoretical questions. They must also have a commitment to excellence in teaching and be prepared to teach courses that contribute to the interdepartmental Linguistics M.A. program and undergraduate major as well as to the Anthropology graduate and undergraduate programs. The appointment start date is August 25, 2016. Applicants must have defended their PhD dissertation by the time of application and must hold a PhD at the time of appointment.Preferred: Preference will be given to qualified candidates who have an ability to contribute, through their research, teaching and service, to the diversity of the curriculum and the academic community, and who have the organizational and interpersonal skills to work productively with colleagues in other subfields of Anthropology and in other departments.Priority will be given to applications received by October 16 in selecting candidates for preliminary interviews in mid-November. However, the search will remain open until filled.To apply, please submit a Candidate Profile to posting number 0616988 through Jobs@UVA (https://jobs.virginia.edu) and attach the following: CV, cover letter describing qualifications and research trajectory, contact information for three references, and two writing samples: (1) an article-length sample of written work that demonstrates integration of linguistic analysis with anthropological theory (attach to “Writing Sample 1” in Jobs@UVA), and (2) the front matter [table of contents, acknowledgments, and introduction] of your dissertation or, if appropriate, book (attach to “Writing Sample 2” in Jobs@UVA).Questions regarding the application process for Jobs@UVa should be directed to:Mildred DeanOffice ManagerDepartment of AnthropologyUniversity of Virginia434-924-7033mwd2f@virginia.eduFor additional information contact:Lise DobrinChair, Search Committeedobrin@virginia.eduThe University will perform background checks on all new faculty hires prior to making a final offer of employment.The University of Virginia is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. Women, minorities, veterans and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

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Native Literatures of the Americas (U Nebraska Press)

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The series showcases the rich literary traditions of the Indigenous peoples of the Americas.  Native Literatures of the Americas primarily publishes collected volumes of newly translated oral literatures and indigenous texts, as well as retranslations of classic texts. Each volume is accompanied by expert commentary and interpretive contextualization of Indigenous literatures.View the books in this series here.