Call for Papers
SSILA Annual Meeting
January 24-26, 2025
Deadline for abstracts:
Extended to August 16, 2024
Para la convocatoria en español, consulte https://ssila.org/convocatoria.
The Society for the Study of the Indigenous Languages of the Americas (SSILA) is planning to hold its next annual winter meeting online on January 24 to 26, 2025. SSILA meetings encourage scholars to present on a wide range of topics centered on any aspect of Indigenous languages in the Americas
Call for papers
SSILA welcomes abstracts for papers that present original research focusing on the linguistic study of the Indigenous languages of the Americas. Presenters must be members of SSILA in order to present. (You can join SSILA at: https://www.ssila.org/en/membership-information)
Abstract Submission
The deadline for submission of all abstracts is on August 16, at 11:59PM (Hawaii-Aleutian time, extended from August 1). Abstracts should be submitted electronically, using the link below (please note that unlike earlier years, abstracts will not be submitted via EasyChair nor SurveyMonkey). Also, e-mail or hard-copy submissions will be accepted if arrangements are made in advance with the SSILA Program Committee Administrator, John W. W. Powell (conferences@ssila.org). Abstracts may be submitted in English, Spanish, French, or Portuguese. At the conference, talks may be presented in any language of the Americas, including in Indigenous languages. (If you would like to submit an abstract in a language that is not listed above, please get in touch with John W. W. Powell by 1 July 2024 so that we can make the necessary reviewing arrangements.)
The abstract submission page is:
https://easyabs.linguistlist.org/conference/SSILA/
Abstracts must conform to the guidelines below.
General Requirements
1. All authors must be members of SSILA. See the SSILA website for information about membership and renewal (https://www.ssila.org/en/membership-information). The membership requirement may be waived for Indigenous community scholars and language practitioners. It may also be waived for co-authors or for participants in organized sessions who are from disciplines other than those ordinarily represented by SSILA (linguistics and linguistic anthropology). Waivers can be requested by contacting the SSILA Secretary, Amy Fountain (secretary@ssila.org).
2. Any member may submit one single-author abstract and one multi-author abstract OR two multi-author abstracts.
3. After an abstract has been submitted, no changes of author, title, or wording of the abstract, other than those due to typographical errors, are permitted.
4. Papers must be delivered as projected in the abstract or represent bona fide developments of the same research.
5. Papers must not appear in print before the meeting.
6. All presenters of individual papers must register for the meeting if their papers are accepted.
7. Authors who must withdraw from the program should inform the SSILA Program Committee Administrator (conferences@ssila.org) as soon as possible.
8. Authors may not submit identical abstracts for presentation at the SSILA meeting and the LSA meeting or a meeting of one of the Sister Societies (ADS, ANS, NAAHoLS, SPCL, TALE). Authors who are discovered to have done so will have these abstracts removed from consideration. Authors may submit substantially different abstracts for presentation at the SSILA meeting and the LSA or a Sister Society meeting.
Abstract Format
1. Abstracts should be uploaded as a file in PDF format to this submission form: https://easyabs.linguistlist.org/conference/SSILA/
2. The abstract, including examples as needed, should be no more than two typed pages (12pt font, single spaced, with 1-inch margins), including examples and references. Abstracts longer than two pages will be rejected without being evaluated.
3. At the top of the abstract, give a title that is not more than one line and that clearly indicates the topic of the paper.
4. Abstracts will be reviewed anonymously. Do not include your name on the abstract. If you identify yourself in any way in the abstract (e.g. “In Smith (1992)...I”), the abstract will be rejected without being evaluated. Of course, it may be necessary to refer to your own work in the third person in order to appropriately situate the research.
5. Abstracts which do not conform to these format guidelines will be rejected without being evaluated.
Abstract Contents
Papers whose main topic does not focus on the Indigenous languages of the Americas will be rejected without further consideration by the Program Committee. SSILA requires further that the subject matter be related to linguistics and/or language work, that the research presented include new findings or developments not published before the meeting, that there be reflection on the social outcomes/impacts/implications of the work, that the papers not be submitted with malicious or scurrilous intent, and that the abstract be coherent and in accordance with these guidelines.
Abstracts are more often rejected because they omit crucial information rather than because of errors in what they include. The most important criterion is relevance to the understanding of Indigenous languages of the Americas, but other factors are important, too. It is important to present results so that they will be of interest to the whole SSILA (and larger) linguistic community, not just to those who work on the same language or language family that you do.
A suggested outline for abstracts is as follows:
1. State the problem or research question raised by prior work, with specific reference to relevant prior research.
2. Give a clear indication of the nature and source of your data (primary fieldwork, archival research, secondary sources). State the main point or argument of the proposed presentation.
3. Regardless of the subfield, cite sufficient data, and explain why and how they support the main point or argument. For examples in languages other than English, provide word-by-word glosses and underline or boldface the portions of the examples which are critical to the argument.
4. State the relevance of your ideas to past work or to the future development of the field. Describe analyses in as much detail as possible. Avoid promissory statements to the effect of “a solution to this problem will be presented.” If you are taking a stand on a controversial issue, summarize the arguments that led you to your position.
5. You are expected to state the contribution to linguistics made by the analysis and state the social outcomes/impacts/implications of the work (which may be positive, neutral or negative, immediate or potential).
Consideration of the social outcomes/impacts/implications of the work might focus on the specific topic under consideration or take into account the broader scope of a project. Effects might take a while to be felt and might be nuanced with respect to who is influenced and how. Implications are likely to relate to the social significance to the language community, such as the project’s capacity for developing tools for pedagogy or revitalization, valorizing the language within a broader social context, or (perhaps at the same time) introducing points of tension regarding approaches to language teaching. They might also include bringing a situation regarding a language community’s status to wider attention, educating the public regarding language endangerment and its significance, promoting the application of Native ways of knowing in linguistic research or community-related goals. Resources for abstract writers can be found on-line at: https://www.ssila.org/social-impact-and-outcomes
6. Please include a list of references for any work cited in the abstract. The references is included within the two-page limit.
Categories of Presentation
Authors are required to indicate the preferred category of their presentation at the time of submitting the abstract. The program committee will try to accommodate this preference as space and time allow. The categories to choose from are:
Phonetics, Phonology, Morphology, Syntax, Semantics, Historical Linguistics, Sociolinguistics, Lexicography, Applied Linguistics, Language Revitalization, Linguistic Geography, Typology, Language Learning/Acquisition, Other
Abstract Submission
Abstracts can be submitted via the following page: https://easyabs.linguistlist.org/conference/SSILA/
Questions? Please contact conferences@ssila.org if you have any questions about or difficulty with your abstract submission.