Call for Abstracts: the 2010 LSA Meeting

The 84th Annual Meeting of the Linguistic Society of America will take place January 7-10, 2010 at the Hilton Baltimore. The LSA is now accepting Abstract Submissions, starting June 1, 2009 and ending July 31, 2009. Submitting an abstract is a 2-part process: 1) Begin the 5-step online form, beginning here, and 2) Prepare your abstract, following their guidelines.

According to their submission guidelines, abstracts should be unmarked, and will be matched up with their corresponding online forms, if chosen. Abstracts with names or other identifying information will not be accepted.

The LSA also provides a critique of a model abstract and an insufficient abstract, found here. This is very helpful!

Please don't be intimidated by the process! This is an excellent opportunity to put your work out there into the world and familiarize yourself with the process. Play the game, and good luck!

Content!

This semester has gone by much quicker than we had ever anticipated! With up to 8 Linguistics students graduating (that's about half our department), and the remaining likely working on Zulu, Spanish, and Zapotec, and one month to go, the blog has gotten sparse. But don't worry, we are returning to the roost!

The plan is to post more interesting content, including sharing some of the fascinating research that our fellow fledgelings have been pursuing. And of course, posting the usual meeting and event updates.

Speaking of, there are two upcoming events to join in on:

1. This Thursday April 2nd, the monthly LGSA meeting will be held in HUM room 102, 11:30-12:00 (same time, new place).
2. Next Friday, April 10th, from 2:00-5:00 is Squib Session, room TBD.

Additional updates to these events will be sent through the LGSA Listserve.

Events, Meetings, Opportunities, OH MY!

Welcome to Spring 2009 Semester at SF State University!
There is a lot going on already! I will be updating this post with events for the month of February. Items listed here are also on the Fledgelings Calendars.

First up, this Thursday there are two important meetings:

• The Linguistics Program Meeting – for all new and returning graduate students, takes place this Thursday, Feb 5, from 12:00 - 12:45 in Humanities 203 (the Graduate Reading Room).
  
• Immediately before the Linguistics Program Meeting this Thursday, the LGSA will be kicking off the semester with its first public meeting, from 11:30 - 12:00, also in Humanities 203. We will get to know each other, discuss our plans for the semester, as well as schedule fun events with the first one to be happening very soon! This meeting is for all Fledgelings, anybody interested in linguistics, or if you just want to drop in and say hi and see what we're all about. You do not need to be in the Linguistics program or an LGSA member to attend! Future LGSA meetings will be occuring on the first Thursday of each month, from 11:00am, - 12:00pm, in HUM 203.
  

Some great entertainment happenings as well:

• A ONE NIGHT ONLY Special Performance: Word For Word's More Stories by Tobias Wolff. This Sunday, February 8, starting at 7:00pm, at the McKenna Theater (Creative Arts building). Discount rate for students! $10 tickets can be purchased by stopping by the Box Office (in the Creative Arts building). $12.50 per ticket online, here.
• Special potluck dinner, immediately before this Sunday's performance. The Lit/Comp dept will be hosting this event, from 5:30pm - 6:45pm in Humanities 294. Afterwards, we will all walk to the theater together to enjoy the 7:00pm Word for Word performance. Special dinner guests James Boyd (former chair of the GLA!) and the rest of the Composition instructors, as well as Harriet Rafter, whom so many of you have turned to for help in the English department. This is a GREAT opportunity for linguistics, composition, and literature students to meet and mingle! If you are interesting in attending and contributing, please let us know – leave a comment here or drop us an email at fledgelings at gmail dot com.
• Drinks + BATS Improv, with English Department's very own Dr. Whalley! On Sunday, February 22, starting at 5:30pm at the Horseshoe Tavern at 2028 Chestnut St. for drinks and conversation. This will be a great time to chat with MA TESOL students and faculty. After drinks, we will walk together to BATS improv to see Dr. Whalley and the rest of the troupe preform in a comedy improv performance! $5 at the door with student ID. BATS Improv is at Ft. Mason, starting at 7:00pm-9:00pm. For more information or to RSVP, send an e-mail to Keith Anderson at keith-and at hotmail dot com.
  

Conferences and other Academic Opportunities:

• One of our own, Chris VanderStouwe, will be presenting his paper, "Restoring Tradition or Protecting Civil Rights: The Media's Discursive Role in the De-legitimization of Same-Sex Marriage through Coverage of Proposition 8" at this year's Lavender Languages and Linguistics Conference. On February 13th, Chris will also be attending the special seminar "Is 'Hope' Enough? Anticipating the LGBTQ Discursive Landscape of the Obama Administration." The goals of this discussion panel are to identify how the Obama administration is constructing its queer-related policy arguments vs. its campaign trail rhetoric, and to discuss effective ways to invoke those arguments and address issues such as: employment rights and ENDA, the "marriage" issue, "Don't Ask Don't Tell," to develop a research agenda for lavender language inquiry that will allow scholars/activists to speak more directly to LGBTQ issues under the new administration, as well as many other issues. If you have feedback, comments, questions, or concerns that you would like Obama's team to address in regards to LGBT Discourse, Chris will be glad to bring these to the discussion at American University. You can send him an email at chrisv at sfsu dot edu.
• There is a Pre-Doctoral Program Workshop for junior, senior, and grad students. It will be held on Friday, Feb. 27th, from 2:00pm - 3:00pm, in Humanities 587. Campus coordinator Dr. William Christmas will be presenting this opportunity. The California Pre-Doctoral Program supports the doctoral aspirations of CSU students, particularly those who have had educational and economic disadvantages, and aims to increase the diversity of the pool from which the CSU draws its faculty. Each applicant selected as a Pre-Doctoral Scholar will work closely with a faculty sponsor to develop a plan that leads to preparation for and enrollment in a doctoral program. If you are interested in attending the workshop, please RSVP by emailing Dr. Christmas at xmas at sfsu dot edu. Final application deadline is March 30th, 4pm, Humanities 289. More info about the Pre-Doctoral Program can be found here: http://www.calstate.edu/PreDoc/
• The University of Florida Center for Latin American Studies is pleased to announce the Garifuna Language Summer Institute to be offered in La Ceiba, Honduras from May 10 - June 19, 2009. The Garifuna Summer Institute provides a unique opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students to acquire proficiency in Garifuna, an endangered Afro-Indigenous and Caribbean language. This six-week intensive immersion course will familiarize students with modern Garifuna language and culture through classroom study and excursions to local sites. Students will take 6 credits of Beginning Garifuna (LAS 4956) and 3 credits of Garifuna Culture (LAS 4956/LAS 6938). The Institute is a FLAS-approved program. The application deadline is March 16, 2009. Non-UF students are encouraged to apply. Additional program details, as well as information on how to apply online, can be found at: http://www.latam.ufl.edu/academic/Content/GarifunaSummerInstitute.pdf.
• The Graduate Research Competition deadline is coming up! February 18th is the last day to submit your entry. Click here for more information about the Graduate Research Competition.
• Registration and Fellowship Applications are now being accepted for the 2009 LSA Linguistic Institute, this summer at UC Berkeley. Click here for more information about the 2009 Linguistic Institute.

There's a lot of opportunity out there folks! If you have anything else to add, please let us know. Thanks!

Social events and the LSA!

**** UPDATED Tuesday the 6th with pre-LSA-meeting place and time ****

Since there are quite a few of us that are volunteering and/or attending this week's LSA Meeting, it'd be great to get together and socialize, network, talk linguistics, and enjoy food and drinks!

If you are attending the meeting and would like to get in on the festivities, please leave a comment on this post. You don't have to have any account to comment; you can do so anonymously (just leave your name in the post so we know who you are!)

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The LSA preliminary program shows that the Graduate Student Panel will take place this Friday, January 9th, from 8:00 pm – 9:30 pm. Afterwards there will be a Student Mixer from 9:30 pm — 11:30 pm.
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If that's not enough for you, there will also be a LGSA Fledgelings pub night on Monday evening, possibly including a Pub Quiz if there's interest (click here for Mon. night Pub Quiz locations). Place and time to be determined; all suggestions welcome.

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And if that's STILL not enough linguistically fascinating social interaction, and you want to don your wordnerd hat early, we could meet up before the conference begins as well...say, 2:30-3:00ish at Emporio Rulli Café (map) near the Hilton Hotel (the Urban Tavern is next door, and might be fun, although possibly a bit pricey)? We're open to all suggestions!

View Larger Map
Directions: Emporio Rulli Caffe is very easy to get to from BART. Get off at Powell St. Station, walk up Powell st. for 4 short blocks, following the cable car tracks, past Union Square. Then take a right on Post and the Cafe will be about 1/2 way down the block on the left. It's also 4 blocks from the Hilton. Just go back down Post and take a left on Mason. The hotel is on the corner of Mason and O'Farrell. It's a glorified coffee house with light food and lots of desserts. Price range is mostly $3-10.

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So please comment below if you would like to attend one of these events, or if you are going to the LSA meeting and just want to let us know you'll be there. (If you don't want to comment publicly, you can always drop Heather, Noah or Kim an email at Fledgelings at gmail.com.)

There is also a discussion thread about the LSA on our Google Groups Discussion Board. That is a private group, just for us to chat.

This post will be updated as event details are worked out.

Linguistic Society of America Annual Meeting THIS WEEK!

The 83rd Annual Meeting of the Linguistic Society of America (LSA) will take place this week, starting Thursday, January 8th and ending Sunday, January 9th. The meeting will be held at the Hilton Hotel, 333 O'Farrell Street, San Francisco.

Click HERE for the preliminary program, featuring speakers, times and topics.

Students who are members of the LSA can register to attend the conference on-site for $65. Non-member students can register on-site for $75. Pre-registration has already closed.

If you would like to purchase a student membership to the LSA you can sign up by clicking HERE. Student membership costs $30 and are valid through the end of this year. Also, member benefits (from their website):
"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."

Hope to see you at the meeting!

Deadline to register online to attend LSA meeting is this Friday!

The Linguistic Society of America (LSA) will be holding their 83rd annual meeting from January 8-11, 2009, at the Hilton San Francisco!

Becoming a member of the LSA is easy, and it can be done online. For students, the cost is $30 per year, and includes the following:

• Four issues of Language
• Eligibility to submit abstracts for the Annual LSA meetings and apply for tuition fellowships to the LSA Linguistic Institute.
• Significant discounts on subscriptions to many journals of interest to linguists.
• And of course, the intangible benefit that comes from knowing that membership supports the many significant educational and societal contributions of the LSA.
  

Again, to join online, click here. Don't forget to sign up to attend the annual meeting once you join – it is a separate registration process. For students, the fee is $45, and you can sign up by clicking here. You do not need to be a member of the LSA to attend the annual meeting.

Please also see the previous post about receiving funding to cover costs for this event.

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THE REGISTRATION DEADLINE IS THIS FRIDAY!
(fees go up substantially if you pay on site)

Term Paper Sessions!

Is there any interest in meeting up on campus, possibly on Monday Dec. 1st, and/or Dec. 3rd, to present, share, and help each other with upcoming paper topics? If this would be a productive session for you, please express your interest by leaving a comment on this post or sending an email to fledgelings at gmail.com. More details to come!

Advanced Field Methods Seminar, post meeting update

Today's info meeting regarding this summer's Advanced Field Methods Seminar in Oaxaca went really well. About 12 of us were in attendance as Dr. Carleton gave us a quick rundown on what the project is about, how it works, what to expect, and what the requirements and costs are.

This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to do some meaningful and amazing work. Not to mention the experience and resume-boon. I'm super motivated to learn more Spanish now! Netflix will help, as will turning on dubbed and/or subtitle tracks on everything watched on the DVD player from here on out. Spanish talk radio in the car, and podcasts through iTunes. Only seven months left to train my ears to the sounds of Mexico.

If you'd like to discuss the project, head over to the LGSA Fledgelings Google Group...we've already started a topic or two on this!

LGSA Fledgelings Calendar

Academic Calendar: iCal XML | Events Calendar: iCal XML


See this icon:
It's in the upper right corner of the Calendar. You can use it to display/hide various categories of calendar events.

Info Meeting for the Advanced Field Methods Seminar in Teotitlán de Valle, Mexico!

The informational meeting for the 6th Annual Advanced Field Methods Seminar is coming up. Please spread the word and tell your friends and classmates about this opportunity!

Come find out more about this exciting study abroad program! The meeting will be held NEXT Thursday, October 23rd, 2008, at 12:30 pm, in HUM 203.
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ABOUT THE PROGRAM:
When: June 13 — July 4, 2009
Where: Teotitlán de Valle, Oaxaca, Mexico
Prerequisites: English 424, English 421, English 727 (offered this Spring 2009), and proficiency in Spanish with at least one year of college level Spanish.

This three-week short-term study abroad program offered as a 3-unit summer school course through the College of Humanities and CEL, is a unique opportunity for students to participate in an ongoing linguistic field project in Oaxaca, Mexico. Be a part of helping document an endangered language and preserving a culture.

Participants will:

• Participate in a collaborative community-based research project
• Conduct linguistic fieldwork on location
• Help document the endangered dialect of Teotitlán, Zapotec
• Learn about dictionary making and archiving oral tradition
• Build community ties through living in a Zapotec village

Program includes:

• Lodging with a Zapotec family
• Breakfast, lunch, and dinner buffets with seminar group
• 3 SFSU course units that will count as an elective toward an English BA, Linguistics MA, and MATESOL degrees and possibly other degrees.

SquibFest, anyone?

Are you preparing your squibs this semester? Next semester? Far off in the future, but want to learn about the process? If so, how would you feel about having a few LGSA get togethers to help prepare for your squib presentations? If this is something that would interest you, please leave a comment on this post (click the 'Post a Comment' at the bottom of this entry) and let's start formulating a plan!

Let us know what you could use help with, how you think your time would best be spent, and when you think a meetup (or two or three) would be most useful, and we'll all make it happen.

More info about the LSA

Following up on recent posts about registration for the LSA (Linguistic Society of America) meeting in SF, and applying for student travel funds, you can also get free registration to the conference by volunteering at the LSA meeting, January 8-11. If you are interested in adding your name to the pool of volunteers, please let Dr. Carleton know a.s.a.p.!

Information about the Annual Meeting of the Linguistic Society of America (LSA)

The Linguistic Society of America (LSA) will be holding their 83rd annual meeting from January 8-11, 2009, at the Hilton San Francisco!

Becoming a member of the LSA is easy, and it can be done online. For students, the cost is $30 per year, and includes the following:

• Four issues of Language
• Eligibility to submit abstracts for the Annual LSA meetings and apply for tuition fellowships to the LSA Linguistic Institute.
• Significant discounts on subscriptions to many journals of interest to linguists.
• And of course, the intangible benefit that comes from knowing that membership supports the many significant educational and societal contributions of the LSA.
  

Again, to join online, click here. Don't forget to sign up to attend the annual meeting once you join. For students, the fee is $45, and you can sign up by clicking here.

Please also see the previous post about receiving funding to cover costs for this event.