Linguistics scholars from all over the world are invited to Eugene this summer to immerse themselves in the study of linguistics at the annual Linguistic Society of America’s Summer Institute. Registration is now open for the five-week summer school, hosted — for the first time — by University of Oregon’s Department of Linguistics in the College of Arts and Sciences.

“It's such a unique opportunity to take courses in areas that your program doesn't offer, or new areas that you'd like to dip your toes into,” said Nadia Clement, a third-year doctoral student in linguistics. “The networking opportunities are great, both for meeting professors and other students who share your interests.”

This year the Summer Institute runs from July 7 through August 8 and will bring 110 faculty and 300-400 students from all over the world to UO’s campus in July and August. The five-week event offers around 100 courses, making it one of the largest in the world.  

“I plan to attend this year’s institute. The topics align closely with my current research focus, and the scholars leading these sessions are not only brilliant researchers but also individuals I wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity to learn from,” said Zach Houghton, doctoral candidate in linguistics at the University of California, Davis.

In the study of linguistics, scholars work within diverse theoretical frameworks. One of the major frameworks is generative linguistics, which is the more common approach in the US. However, UO’s linguistics department is one of the few institutions in the country that emphasizes functional and usage-based approaches. This focus sets the department apart, fostering research that prioritizes language as an adaptive and socially embedded system, shaped by interaction and real-world usage.

"Being focused on functional and usage-based linguistics makes our Summer Institute a bit different,” said Volya Kapatsinski, professor and head of the department. “So this year, we have a lot of coursework on computational approaches to cognitive science, language learning, and language change and typology."

In addition to courses during the week and additional conferences on the weekends, attendees can look for special evening lectures and roundtable discussions on Wednesdays. In their spare time, attendees can look forward to exploring Eugene, the one and only Track Town USA.  

Hosting the Summer Institute offers many benefits to UO, including career-readiness opportunities for students in areas such as event planning, outreach and social media promotion. Plus, the event involves many moving parts and cross-campus collaboration, including scholars and students in the School of Global Studies and Languages and East Asian Languages and Literatures.  

Those interested in learning more about registration and planned activities can visit the website to get all the details.  

—By Jenny Brooks, College of Arts and Sciences