BULA December 2008

bula@ling.bu.edu

1 participants
3 discussions

Fwd: Summer Research Opportunity
by Paul Hagstrom 28 Dec '08

28 Dec '08

Hello Linguistics enthusiasts. We just got an announcement for a (paid) summer research opportunity at UMD College Park, which you may be interested in looking into. Details below: -Paul Begin forwarded message: > From: Summer Research Initiative <sri(a)bsos.umd.edu> > Date: December 23, 2008 4:20:58 PM EST > To: Summer Research Initiative <SRI(a)bsos.umd.edu> > Subject: Summer Research Opportunity > > Greetings, > > I am writing to share with you a wonderful summer research > opportunity at the University of Maryland, College Park intended for > undergraduate students (see attached announcement). This program is > geared at rising juniors and seniors who are interested in pursuing > a doctorate in the social, behavioral and economic sciences > immediately following the completion of the Bachelors degree. All > students are eligible; however, we highly encourage those from under- > represented populations to apply (i.e. African Americans, Hispanics, > American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, or other Pacific > Islanders). > > We expect 10-12 scholars to participate in the upcoming eight-week > experience (from June 1- July 24, 2009). Events and activities will > include lab and research experiences, didactic science lectures, and > opportunities for professional development, mentoring, and > networking. Accepted students will be provided round-trip airfare, > meals, room and board and a $2,700 stipend. The application deadline > is February 13, 2009. > > We would greatly appreciate your help in disseminating this > announcement to your students and colleagues. Please refer them to > our program website http://www.bsos.umd.edu/diversity/summer-research-initiative.aspx > > or email us at sri(a)bsos.umd.edu > > Thank you. > > David Garcia > SRI Coordinator > > > > Summer Research Initiative > Office of the Dean > College of Behavioral and Social Sciences > University of Maryland - College Park > 2141 Tydings Hall > College Park, MD 20742 > (T) 301-405-8761 > (F) 301-314-9086 > (E) sri(a)bsos.umd.edu >

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Fwd: Language Diversity discussion at MIT- you are invited!
by Paul Hagstrom 11 Dec '08

11 Dec '08

This is tomorrow (let me repeat: this is tomorrow, Friday), at MIT, and is certain to be interesting. Sorry for the short notice., I just got this myself. But, I'd imagine that this is a good way to kick off the study period before finals. Begin forwarded message: > From: Leonid Chindelevitch <leonidus(a)MIT.EDU> > Date: December 11, 2008 2:40:19 PM EST > To: leonidus(a)MIT.EDU > Subject: Language Diversity discussion at MIT- you are invited! > > Dear fellow language enthusiasts, > > My name is Leonid, I am a graduate student at MIT and the main > organizer of the > Lecture Series on Language Diversity and Language Rights dedicated > to the UN > Year of Languages 2008. I would like to invite you to attend a Panel > Discussion > on Language Diversity, the closing event of the Lecture Series, > which will take > place at MIT on Friday December 12th, from 5 to 6 PM, in room 6-120 > (http://whereis.mit.edu/map-jpg?mapterms=6&mapsearch=go). Our > panelists will be > Dr. Andrew Nevins from Harvard and Dr. Norvin Richards from MIT, > both renowned > experts in studying and working with endangered languages. The event > will also > feature the presentation of a booklet on language diversity, which > will be the > result of a large survey and will list many of the languages spoken > at MIT. > > I'm looking forward to seeing you tomorrow! Please distribute this > announcement > to other students and faculty in your university who may find this > interesting! > > Leonid. > -- > Come to the Language Diversity panel discussion on December 12, 5PM, > in 6-120! > Take a look my environmental blog at http://groenester.livejournal.com/ > . > Buy awesome 2009 ASHA calendars online: https://www.ashanet.org/mit/calendar.php

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Coming attractions at BULA Fall Semester Movie Nights
by Paul Hagstrom 03 Dec '08

03 Dec '08

The Boston University undergraduate Linguistics Association will be screening two videos in the coming weeks -- one on each Thursday surrounding Thanksgiving. Come if you can! BULA Fall Semester Movie Nights: IN SEARCH OF THE FIRST LANGUAGE Thu, Nov 20, 7pm Geddes Language Center CAS 537C (Viewing Room) THE HUMAN LANGUAGE SERIES Part 1: Discovering the Human Language Thu, Dec 4, 7pm Geddes Language Center CAS 538 Some blurbs about the videos: IN SEARCH OF THE FIRST LANGUAGE http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/teachers/programs/2120_firstlan.html There are almost 5,000 different languages spoken in the world. Many linguists believe that these 5,000 evolved from about 200 distinct and apparently unrelated families. Whether or not all of these language families could have developed from a single language is the issue explored by this episode of NOVA. There is a controversy among linguists as to whether a primordial language once existed. Some claim that after about 10,000 years, any language has changed too much for anyone to ascertain the original tongue. They argue that theories about languages before 10,000 years ago are pure speculation. Others are turning to DNA patterns to support theories of language origin. All of these linguists are collecting information that they hope will help them find relationships among the various families of languages. THE HUMAN LANGUAGE SERIES http://equinoxfilms.home.mindspring.com/series.html Our species alone has the miracle of syntax. Program One is about words, sentences, and Universal Grammar - the system claimed to be common to all the world's languages. "Colorless green ideas sleep furiously" is gibberish, but grammatically correct. Does this show that structure can be separate from meaning? We learn that the "Chomskyan revolution" changed language study into a search for what goes on inside the brain. (How does a child just know that the marble "inside" the box isn't "near" the box?) We find out that the human language has two great ground plans. (Warlpiri, an Australian language, works the same way as Latin.) There are no "primitive" languages anywhere. How good is the human language at what it does? Language is poor at describing faces, but there is no other way to declare, "There is not a giraffe standing next to me." The great achievement of language is that we can think in abstractions; that we can say anything we can think; that only we can say new things.

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BULA December 2008