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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 02 Dec '08

02 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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Fwd: Call for Papers - McCCLU 2009
by Paul Hagstrom 18 Nov '08

18 Nov '08

Hello, BULA. Just to let you all know, there will be an undergraduate Linguistics conference at McGill (in Montréal) in March, and if you have any research you've done (or will have done by February) and would like to present it this way, definitely consider it. The call for abstracts is online here: http://mccclu.ausmcgill.com/blog/submit-abstract/ At links off the website just given, you can also look at past programs, to get a sense of what kind of an event this is. The deadline for abstracts is February 9. -Paul Call for Papers The Society of Linguistics Undergraduates of McGill (SLUM) at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada is hosting its third annual McGill’s Canadian Conference for Linguistics Undergraduates (McCCLU) the weekend of March 6th, 2009. The aims of the conference are to promote undergraduate research and to foster the growth of the undergraduate linguistics community. Undergraduate students interested in participating are encouraged to submit an abstract for a 20-minute talk with a 10-minute question period on any topic pertaining to linguistics. Students may also submit an abstract for a poster on any topic relevant to linguistics at our poster session to be held during the conference. Abstracts should be a maximum of one-page in length and should be submitted online to mccclu2009(a)gmail.com by Monday February 9th, 2009. Please indicate whether you would like to be considered for a 20-minute talk or for the poster session or both. Please direct any further questions to mccclu2009(a)gmail.com. For more information, check out mccclu.com.

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Linguistics movie tonight (after Open House): Cracking the Maya Code
by Paul Hagstrom 22 Oct '08

22 Oct '08

[Hello BULA list -- Don't forget this afternoon's Open House, and BULA has secured a room to show "Cracking the Maya Code" just afterwards, at 5pm. Below is the actual announcement, and a couple of links.] Hello Linguistics enthusiasts! To complete your day of linguistic devotion [today] Wednesday, October 22, the BULA is having an official movie night! We will be showing "Cracking the Maya Code" at 5pm in CAS 534 in the Geddes Language Lab. Come learn the story behind the centuries-long decipherment of ancient Maya hieroglyphs! After the movie (expected to last just short of an hour) we will discuss the plethora of linguistic material to be found within the film. We hope to see you Wednesday night at 5pm for MORE Linguistics! --BULA http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/mayacode/ http://ling.bu.edu/news http://www.bu.edu/linguistics/UG/BULA/

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Linguistics Open House, Wed Oct 22, 3:30pm
by Paul Hagstrom 18 Oct '08

18 Oct '08

Greeting, Linguistics enthusiasts -- Those of you taking Linguistics classes this semester have probably already heard about this, but for the rest of you: On Wednesday, October 22 from 3:30 to 4:30, we're holding our annual Linguistics Open House (with refreshments!). All current and prospective Linguistics majors and minors, as well as other undergraduates with an interest in linguistics, are welcome! We hope you'll come -- and bring your friends ! It's at 621 Comm Ave, in room B02, there will be fliers with arrows on them in the hallways pointing the way. There is also a Facebook event at http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=38989116662 . If you think/know you're coming, RSVPing there will help us get an idea of how many people to expect.. We hope to see you Wednesday..! -Paul Hagstrom hagstrom@bu,edu

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Wednesday (tomorrow) Oct 8, 6:30pm GSU: BULA informational meeting
by Paul Hagstrom 07 Oct '08

07 Oct '08

Hello BULA list -- if you are in a CASLX class this semester, you probably heard about this today, but in case you are not, let me post the text of the flier that was made available in the classes today: Boston University undergraduate Linguistics Association Interested in Linguistics? Come have dinner with BULA! BULA's First Informational Meeting Wednesday October 8, 6:30pm Somewhere in the Union Court at the GSU - Meet BULA officers and members - Discuss events for the semester - Discuss T-shirt designs That's tomorrow evening (and you need to eat anyway), so come if you can! -Paul

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New mailing list software
by Paul Hagstrom 06 Sep '08

06 Sep '08

Hello again. The traffic volume on the BULA mailing list will not normally be this high. However, I just *had* to change mailing list software, because the one we were using before was too archaic and difficult to use. At the bottom of this message there should be a couple of links to pages where subscription options can be found. So, if you want to unsubscribe, it should be easy to do on your own. But you can also feel free to email me (hagstrom(a)bu.edu) and I can take you off. I expect this is the last message about the mailing list itself. The new address for sending messages to the list is bula(a)ling.bu.edu (although note that this is a moderated list, so things you send to the list may take a little while to appear). Enough with the technology, back to your regularly scheduled weekends. -Paul

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