Website and Info
Lead Faculty: Hongchen Wu & Kyoko Masuda
Linguistics is a scientific study of language, combining elements of natural science, social science, and humanities. In studying linguistics, students can exercise their analytical skills and improve their knowledge of core scientific principles while learning about the diversity of language and culture. This initiative includes hosting the annual North American Computational Linguistics Olympiad, offering linguistics workshops and professional development opportunities, and developing introductory online linguistics teaching/learning toolkits.
News and Announcements
Congratulations to Dr. Hongchen Wu on Her Latest Publication
A Big Congratulations to Dr. Hongchen Wu on the publication of her latest article in the Proceedings of the Linguistics Society of America! This article highlights the impactful grant project sponsored by AGSC, which she co-leads with Dr. Kyoko Masuda, titled "Introducing Linguistics to Atlanta High School Students." This project aims to engage and inspire young minds by bringing the fascinating field of linguistics to local high school students, fostering new pathways for understanding language and communication.
Read the full article Here.
Atlanta High School Students Qualify for NACLO Invitational Round
Congratulations to the qualifying group of Atlanta high school students who placed in the top 10% of the North American Computational Linguistics Open (NACLO) Competition! The group has been invited to participate in the Invitational Round on March 16, 2023, from 9am to 1pm, in the Pettit Microelectronics Building at Georgia Tech, for a chance to compete in the International Linguistics Olympiad (IOL).
NACLO is a contest in which high school students solve linguistics problems, and through the process, learn about the diversities and shared constructs of language and culture, while exercising logic skills. No prior knowledge of linguistics or second languages is necessary.
The Georgia NACLO event is an initiative led by Dr. Masada and Dr. Wu in the School of Modern Languages at Georgia Tech, with support from the Atlanta Global Studies Center.
Linguistic Speaker Series 2025
Title: Language as a Strategic Game
Date: March 31, 2025, 4:00 pm – 5:00 PM EDT
Speaker: Dr. Marianne Mason (Associate professor of forensic linguistics and interpreting/translation at James Madison University)
Language is a type of signaling game. The players are rational decision-makers who make choices based on their own and others’ possible linguistic choices. Learn how game theoretic principles, such as Bayesian probability and cheap talk, can be used to explain an array of pragmatic and discursive principles from implied meaning to strategic ‘cheap’ talk used in social media contexts and AI.
Co-sponsored by the School of Modern Languages and the Atlanta Global Studies Center.
Title: Theory and Typology of Morphemes
Date: April 1st, 2025, 11 am - 12 pm EDT
Speaker: Dr. Hossep Dolatian (Senior Technical Editor at ServiceNow; Visiting Scholar at the Linguistics department at Stony Brook University)
In-person location: Swann 123
Hossep Dolatian, senior technical editor at ServiceNow and visiting scholar at Stony Brook University, examines how past and present stems in Near Eastern languages function within modern morphological theory. Traditionally described as a binary distinction, these stems are more accurately classified as morphomes—systematic morphological patterns that do not align with syntactic or semantic categories. Using Iranian languages as a case study, Dolatian explores the recurrence and variation of morphomic past stems across the region. He also discusses their broader significance in linguistic research, including their impact on fieldwork, experimental studies, and advancements in language technology.
Title: Why Everyone Should Study Linguistics
Date: April 2nd, 2025, 3 pm - 4pm EDT
Speaker: Dr. Maya Honda (visiting lecturer in the MIT linguistics department)
Join Maya Honda, visiting lecturer in the MIT linguistics department, as she explores the fascinating realm of linguistics. Discover the intricacies of language and why it's essential for everyone to delve into its study. From engaging fifth graders to adults, Honda shares her insights on the profound impact language has on our lives. Unravel the mysteries of language, from its everyday presence to its complex nuances, and gain a deeper understanding of what it means to be human.
Title: The Role of Linguistics in the Era of LLMs: With an Emphasis on the Pronoun “We”
Date: April 22nd, 2025, 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM EDT
Speaker: Dr. Chongwon Park, Professor of Linguistics, Department of English, Linguistics, and Writing Studies, University of Minnesota Duluth
This talk explores how large language models (LLMs) and linguistic expertise can work together to analyze contextually dependent language patterns. By focusing on the pronoun we in the Korean War Armistice Negotiation documents, we examine its strategic use for persuasion and boundary-setting by both the UN and North Korean delegations. Using machine learning alongside traditional linguistic analysis, this research classifies the contextual usage of we with minimal human labeling, achieving an accuracy of 73.9%. The discussion will highlight the critical role of linguistics in ensuring that LLMs accurately interpret nuanced language use. Attendees will gain insight into how computational methods and linguistic theory intersect to enhance language classification and understanding in real-world applications.
No RSVP is required. We encourage students, researchers, and professionals interested in linguistics, computational linguistics, computer science, and AI to attend.
Linguistic Competition - January 23, 2025
The North American Computational Linguistics Open Competition (NACLO) is a contest in which high-school
students solve linguistic problems. In solving these problems, students learn about the diversity and consistency of language, while exercising logic skills. We will be welcoming high school students to attend this national competition at Georgia Tech.
Training Sessions (online via Zoom)
- Saturday, January 11, 2025, 2:30 PM – 5:30 PM EST
- Saturday, January 18, 2025, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM EST
In-Person Sessions:
- Open Round: Thursday, January 23, 2025, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
- Invited Round: Thursday, March 13, 2025, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
- Location: Pettit Microelectronics Building, 102A&B Conference Room (791 Atlantic Dr NW, Atlanta, GA 30332)
For more information, see https://sites.gatech.edu/naclo/
Linguistic Competition - January 25, 2024
The North American Computational Linguistics Open Competition (NACLO) is a contest in which high-school students solve linguistic problems. In solving these problems, students learn about the diversity and consistency of language, while exercising logic skills. We will be welcoming high school students to attend this national competition at Georgia Tech.
Training Sessions (online via Zoom)
- Friday, Jan. 12, 2:30 – 5:30 p.m. EST
- Saturday, Jan. 13, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. EST
In-Person Sessions:
- Open Round: Thursday, January 25, 2024, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
- Invited Round: Thursday, March 14, 2024, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
- Location: Pettit Microelectronics Building, 102A&B Conference Room (791 Atlantic Dr NW, Atlanta, GA 30332)
For more information, see https://sites.gatech.edu/naclo/
Linguistics Competition - January 26, 2023
The North American Computational Linguistics Open Competition (NACLO) is a contest in which high-school students solve linguistic problems. In solving these problems, students learn about the diversity and consistency of language, while exercising logic skills. We welcome Atlanta local high school students to attend this national competition.
The qualifying group of Atlanta high school students were invited to participate in the Invitational Round on March 16, 2023, from 9am to 1pm, in the Pettit Microelectronics Building at Georgia Tech, for a chance to compete in the International Linguistics Olympiad (IOL).
Speaker Series 2024
Why Everyone Should Study Linguistics
Maya Honda — Visiting Lecturer, Linguistics and Philosophy, MIT
In this talk, Maya Honda will expand on what linguistics is by describing some of the many things about language that linguists investigate. She will also discuss why everyone should have the opportunity to study linguistics, based on her experiences engaging fifth graders up to adult learners in linguistic inquiry.
In linguistics, the scientific study of language, we apply the methods of science to investigate and explain what a person knows when they know a language. This is a challenging endeavor with many facets, given that we implicitly know things that no one has taught us, such as how to interpret ambiguous sentences.
Contact For More Information: Hongchen Wu (hwu480@gatech.edu)
Intro to Sign Languages Acquisition
Dr. Jenny Singleton — Professor, Department of Linguistics, Stony Brook University
Jenny Singleton’s research sits at the intersection of psychology, linguistics, and education. She uses experimental, language elicitation, and observational research methods to investigate sign language acquisition. In this talk, she will give an introduction to sign language linguistics and sign language acquisition.
Linguistics in High School
Amy Plackowski — Former Chair of Linguistics in the School Curriculum Committee at Linguistic Society of America
The speaker will talk about her rich experience in teaching linguistics at high school and relevant resources.
Linguistics in Tech
Dr. Sarah Ouwayda holds a Ph.D in Linguistics from the University of Southern California. She currently works as a staff technical lead and manager at Google.
She discusses how linguistics can contribute to the tech industry.