The Australian Linguistic Society (ALS) is an

academic association A learned society (; also learned academy, scholarly society, or academic association) is an organization that exists to promote an academic discipline, profession, or a group of related disciplines such as the arts and science. Membership may ...

for linguists. It was established in 1967 with the primary goal of furthering interest in and support for

linguistics Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Linguis ...

research and teaching in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. The Australian Linguistic Society also publishes a

peer-reviewed Peer review is the evaluation of work by one or more people with similar competencies as the producers of the work (peers). It functions as a form of self-regulation by qualified members of a profession within the relevant field. Peer review ...

academic journal An academic journal or scholarly journal is a periodical publication in which scholarship relating to a particular academic discipline is published. Academic journals serve as permanent and transparent forums for the presentation, scrutiny, and d ...

, the

Australian Journal of Linguistics The ''Australian Journal of Linguistics'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal in the field of linguistics established in 1981. It is the official journal of the Australian Linguistic Society and is published by Routledge. Its main focus ...

, holds an annual

conference A conference is a meeting of two or more experts to discuss and exchange opinions or new information about a particular topic. Conferences can be used as a form of group decision-making, although discussion, not always decisions, are the main p ...

, an occasional linguistics institute, and has developed and endorsed several policies and statements relating to language and linguistics. The current president of the ALS is

Ilana Mushin Ilana Mushin is an Australian linguist. Mushin's research interests include the Garrawa language, discourse and stance. Mushin is currently an associate professor at The University of Queensland in the School of Languages and Cultures. She is ...

, the Secretary is Caroline Jones, and the Treasurer is Mark Harvey.

Objectives

The specific objectives of the Australian Linguistic Society are: # To further interest in, and support for, linguistic research and teaching in Australia. # To organise an annual meeting and visits of local and overseas speakers. # To publish a journal of international standing. # To organise an International Congress of Linguists when appropriate. # To organise an Australian Linguistic Institute.

Publications

The official journal of the Australian Linguistic Society is the

, a peer-reviewed journal of international standing. The journal is concerned with all branches of

, and has an international scope but with a particular focus on research about

Australian Aboriginal languages The Indigenous languages of Australia number in the hundreds, the precise number being quite uncertain, although there is a range of estimates from a minimum of around 250 (using the technical definition of 'language' as non-mutually intellig ...

, varieties of

Australian English Australian English (AusE, AusEng, AuE, AuEng, en-AU) is the set of varieties of the English language native to Australia. It is the country's common language and ''de facto'' national language; while Australia has no official language, Engli ...

, and research by Australian linguists. The current editor is Keith Allan. The Society also publishes proceedings from the annual ALS conference. Since 1998, selected refereed proceedings have been made available online.

Conferences

The inaugural meeting of the Australian Linguistic Society was held in 1967 at the

Australian National University The Australian National University (ANU) is a public research university located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton encompasses seven teaching and research colleges, in addition to several national academies and ...

. The Society was initially known as the Linguistic Society of Australia but was renamed the Australian Linguistic Society at the 1978 conference. Conferences have been held every year since the inaugural meeting, at different

Australian universities Tertiary education in Australia is formal education beyond high school, consisting of both government and private institutions and divided into two sectors; vocational education and training (which includes TAFEs) and higher education (which incl ...

. A list of past conferences can be found on the ALS website.

Awards

ALS offers several scholarships and awards. These include: # The

Gerhardt Laves Gerhardt Laves (July 15, 1906 – March 14, 1993) was a graduate student at the University of Chicago and Yale University who between August 1929 and August 1931 undertook extensive fieldwork on Australian Aboriginal languages. Laves was probably ...

Scholarship, to cover fieldwork expenses for postgraduate researchers studying indigenous languages of the Australian region. # The Susan Kaldor Scholarshipp, to support student members of ALS in attending an international linguistics summer/winter school or institute. # The Michael Clyne Prize, to be awarded for best postgraduate research thesis in immigrant bilingualism and language contact. #The Talkley Award, to be awarded to a linguist who has made significant contributions towards promoting language and linguistics in the Australian public arena.

Policy statements

The Australian Linguistic Society has developed and endorsed policies relating to the

linguistic rights Linguistic rights are the human and civil rights concerning the individual and collective right to choose the language or languages for communication in a private or public atmosphere. Other parameters for analyzing linguistic rights include the ...

of Aboriginal and

Torres Strait Islander Torres Strait Islanders () are the Indigenous Melanesian people of the Torres Strait Islands, which are part of the state of Queensland, Australia. Ethnically distinct from the Aboriginal people of the rest of Australia, they are often grouped ...

communities; the

ethical Ethics or moral philosophy is a branch of philosophy that "involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior".''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' The field of ethics, along with aesthetics, concerns ma ...

conduct of linguistic research, and the use of language analysis in relation to questions of national origin in

refugee A refugee, conventionally speaking, is a displaced person who has crossed national borders and who cannot or is unwilling to return home due to well-founded fear of persecution.

cases.

References

{{reflist

External links

Official website
Linguistic societies Professional associations based in Australia