LingComm

Language Exploration at the Library, a one-day pop-up event with a variety of exhibits to introduce people of all ages to linguistics and language use A new LingComm IRL post from a group of linguists @universityofkansas.bsky.social doing an event at a local library in Lawrence, Kansas, USA

Attending #SLE2026 and interested in lingcomm? Join James McElvenny (@jamesmcelvenny.bsky.social) and Martin Konvička (@teapotlinguist.bsky.social) in thinking about outreach in the history of linguistics in the panel by Marc Olivier-Loiseau (@loiseaulivier.bsky.social) and Alexandru Nicolae 🤩

Introducing: the Lingcomm Bibliography of research: bit.ly/lingcomm-bib... I've been tinkering on this project with Jess Kruk. Hoping we'll be able to keep adding existing work as well as new things coming out. #lingcomm

Where to publish research on #lingcomm: www.superlinguo.com/post/8207037... An annotated and non-definitive list of some suggestions. If you have other suggestions I'd love to add them!

The 2026 LingComm Grantees are here! We had a record-breaking 111 applicants, and are giving out 7 grants, of which 1 is the Kirby Conrod LGBTQ+ LingComm Grant, plus 4 honorable mentions! Thank you to everyone who applied for your thoughtful proposals, and we look forward to seeing your projects!

These grants are available to linguists outside of the USA, too, and look like a great opportunity! 💰 🎤

hey, people!

Reminder that the LingComm Grants close at the end of this month!

If you are doing, or thinking of starting, a project about language that will (also) teach 'regular folks' about language, you should apply for this grant! Apart from some money, it will also give you publicity and a wider network.

thanks as always to @lingcomm.org and everyone who has supported them! i think the grant program is such a fun and cool way to support small independent projects where we share linguistics #scicomm with our communities!

Are you an early career researcher interested in communicating linguistics to broader audiences? Consider applying for a @lingcomm.org grant! Deadline April 30, via @lingthusiasm.com lingcomm.org/grants/

The LingComm Grants are back! These grants started in 2020, as "hey let's help get lingcomm projects going during lockdown" They've since run in 2022 and 2024, and thanks to generous folks we've always given out more than expected But they only work if people apply!!! Please share this!!

Working on a project bringing linguistics to broader audiences? The 2026 LingComm Grants are $300 USD grants to help you with your project! Please apply and/or share with any up and coming lingcommers you know! Details: lingcomm.org/grants #linguistics #langsky #lingcomm

Who participated in #WorldLinguisticsDay 2025? 🌏 127 "Happy World Linguistics Day" or similar greetings 🌍 from 70 cities 🌎 in 34 countries We've compiled these and more stats in a blog post: lingcomm.org/2025/12/15/s...

Post #3 in the LingComm IRL series is about how doctoral candidate Lee Murray got asked by a friend to do some talks for a skeptics conference in Australia and they ended up directly changing people's minds on prescriptivism! lingcomm.org/2025/09/30/l...

Post #2 in the LingComm IRL series is about how PhD student Mari-Liis Korkus got inspired by talking with people at the first @lingcomm.bsky.social conference to set up a linguistics club for high school students at home in Tartu, Estonia! lingcomm.org/2025/08/27/l...

Starting a new series of interviews on the @lingcomm.bsky.social blog with people who are doing neat community collaboration linguistics projects that don't otherwise have much of a web presence Starting with Linguistics + Girl Scouts! lingcomm.org/2025/07/09/l...

World Linguistics Day is coming up on November 26th! Have you made any plans yet to celebrate? lingcomm.org/2025/10/26/w...

That's a wrap for #LingComm25! And it was the biggest LingComm ever. We'll be back next time for more panels, talks, how-tos, posters, and great chats with all the linguistic communicators. Thanks to everyone who attended and made this conference such a success.

Plenary: @emilymbender.bsky.social on text extruders: "Why are we automating that? How does it fit into the context we're trying to use it…? Who gets hurt if it goes poorly, if it puts errors? Who gets hurt if it works as intended, and who's benefiting from that being automated? #LingComm25

Doing a Linguistics Day for high schoolers? Take a tip on terms from Frances Blanchette. Morphology? ❌ Wordmaxxing ✅ #LingComm25

@malvinanissim.bsky.social heads up an Ethics in AI course at the University of Groningen, where one final project is to give a presentation to high school students. The uni students report that having to explain concepts to younger people forces them to consider multiple perspectives. #LingComm25

"You take a complicated subject that everyone THINKS they understand and explain it in a way that people REALLY understand." @grantbarrett.com on a huge value of linguistics and lingcomm training #LingComm25

Author Hedde Zeijlstra on publishing: "The hardest thing about writing was that there was a linguist sitting on my shoulder" playing the part of a critic. "You just have to beat up that person on your shoulder." #LingComm25

Tips on podcast audio from @becauselanguage.com How hard do you go on the edit? - UMs and UHs have a function, so try to leave them. - Honour the conversation you had. Don't overwork it. - Serve the show — if it's distracting, cut it. And always always always record more than one way. #LingComm25

Valerie Friedman has an important tip on publishing (on the English-speaking scene): Agents get paid when you do. "If an agent is asking you for money up front — run." #LingComm25

Evangelia Adamou: Writing a popsci book is a great way to consolidate yourself as an expert in the field. However, "popular books don't always count the same [as academic books], especially early in your career. You may want to wait to get tenure first, before writing a popular book." #LingComm25

Valerie Friedman on writing a popular book: "There's a point at which you have the confidence to say what *WE* do, rather than just what *I* do." #LingComm25

Valerie Friedman has studied "vowel movement". "I know I can say that in this crowd and not be mistaken for a gastroenterologist." #LingComm25

Laura Wagner, on measuring impact in lingcomm: “Not that any of us would ever have wrong ideas… but itš useful to have data to back up that we’re doing things the right way.” #LingComm25

An interesting insight from Ionica Smeets: In Netherlands, one goal is to increase public trust in science. Another is increasing the trust scientists have in the public. Mutual trust. #LingComm25

Ionica Smeets road-tested their youth-oriented maths book. They used this chart to gauge emotional response; this is a good predictor for retention of material. #LingComm25

Ionica Smeets points out that there's a lot that goes into communication! Where do you start? Answer: yes. #LingComm25

Watching the Day 2 opening keynote at #LingComm25 from famous Dutch science communicator @ionica.mathstodon.xyz.ap.brid.gy "You can always tell how much jargon you're allowed to use by how colourful and glossy the photos are in the publication"

Boy o BOY am I looking forward to today, day 2 of #LingComm25!!! Starting with a plenary from @ionica.mathstodon.xyz.ap.brid.gy :)

Wisdom from Ionica Smeets: "The more glossy the picture of the magazine you're writing for, the more you have to avoid jargon." #LingComm25

"Linguistics contributes to the preservation of democracy," says linguist and educator Joao Costa in the LingComm and Policy panel. "We have to be aware that democracy is at risk. Language rights are human rights." #LingComm25

Linguist and educator Joao Costa in the LingComm and Policy panel: "The more voices we engage, the better the results." #LingComm25

Adam Aleksic @etymologynerd.bsky.social explains that by using an app like TikTok, you are agreeing to the constraints it imposes. But all the same, "you should do what you like doing, and I really liked making those videos." #LingComm25

In the Lingcomm and Policy panel: Where will your work have the most impact? Onno Crasborn left a tenured job in academia to become a schoolteacher again because he could do more as a teacher than by working on policy. #LingComm25

Ross Perlin: Doing good LingComm means thinking about "the ratio of substance to sizzle". From the panel discussion on Taking LingComm on the Road #LingComm25