Please Give Today
A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
The Columbia School Linguistic Society has had an important impact on scholarship about the nature of human language, as well as on the lives of several generations of linguists. More than 25 years ago, a group of former Columbia University students created the Society to honor their mentor, Professor William Diver, and to “advance, promote, and disseminate linguistic research within the framework of the theoretical lines” of his teachings and writings. In the Columbia School (CS) view, language is understood to be a communicative system that is used by its speakers for expressive purposes. William Diver and his colleague Erica García were great intellects and tireless mentors. Their students, who are now senior scholars them-selves, have in turn generously shared their own brilliance with their students, creating new generations of CS scholars. I am a third generation CS scholar. More than 20 years ago, I was on the verge of dropping out of my graduate program in linguistics. My professor at the time, Ricardo Otheguy (himself a student of Erica García), invited me to read a linguistics book (Verb and Noun Number in English, 1995) by Diver’s student Wallis Reid.
As I began reading, I was thrilled! I was finally learning what I wanted to understand about language-how does it work? How does it allow people to communicate? I happily began attending the CS seminar held every month at Columbia University. Thanks to the support of Profs. Otheguy and Reid and others attending the Seminar, I stayed in my graduate program, completed my dissertation research, and embarked on my career as a faculty member at The City College of New York and Graduate Center, at CUNY (the City University of New York). It is one of my greatest honors to now serve as the president of the CS Linguistic Society. The Society is sustained by membership dues and private donations. We need your help to prepare new generations of scholars to develop and disseminate the important ideas of CS linguistics.
With appreciation and best wishes,
Nancy Stern
President Columbia School Linguistic Society
WHAT DOES THE SOCIETY DO?
The Society offers monthly seminars, reading groups, conferences, international institutes, and more. Most events are accessible online to allow participation from all over the world.
Through the support of our generous donors, the Society has sponsored:
7 PhD dissertations and 1 master’s thesis
23 publications (2 books, 13 journal articles, 6 book chapters, 2 conference proceedings)
Presentations at over 30 conferences and symposia around the world
An online introduction to CS linguistics course, completed by more than 65 linguists
Translations of Columbia School work
An informative website, including a fully searchable CS bibliography
Your donation furthers the Society’s mission by supporting graduate students and other promising junior scholars around the world. Funding supports teaching and research, international conferences, books, journals and other academic publications.
Members and Fellows share what drew them to Columbia School linguistics
HOW TO GIVE
We are deeply grateful for your support, which funds teaching and research, international conferences, and the preparation and dissemination of academic publications.
We accept wire transfers, checks or you can pay from this website. If you would like to send a check or wire transfer please contact admin@csling.org for instructions. We gratefully accept donations of stock and other securities. Click here for stock instructions.
Is this donation tax deductible?
The Columbia School Linguistic Society is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization and your donation is tax-deductible within the guidelines of U.S. law. To claim a donation as a deduction on your U.S. taxes, please keep your email donation receipt as your official record. We'll send it to you upon successful completion of your donation.
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Since my days in graduate school, the humanistic thought of William Diver has captured my imagination, and the excitement of his ideas has sustained me throughout my professional career. My wife and I support the Columbia School Linguistic Society because I want new generations of linguists to carry on this important work with Diver’s unique theoretical framework.
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"Being a Columbia School fellow has given me the opportunity to pursue a graduate education and a career in linguistics. The continued support of the CSLS has allowed me to carry out the research leading to my master’s thesis, disseminate my findings at international conferences, and begin work on my PhD dissertation project."
Ludmila Novotny
Universidad Nacional de La Plata
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"Since I became a Columbia School Linguistic Sociey fellow, I have published articles in two respected journals and I am getting ready to defend my PhD thesis. This would not be possible without the generous support of our donors.”
Daan van Soeren
University of Groningen
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"My research as a fellow afforded me the chance to more closely observe language, which in turn helped me be a much better teacher to my high school students. The inquiries that began at the CSLS seminar table found a home in my New York City classroom."
Kelli Hesseltine
The City College of New York
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What I learned about language from Erica García has influenced my work for more than 50 years. As new approaches have developed in theoretical linguistics and in the study of language contact, I have appreciated and learned from them, but have always found that the insights of William Diver remain central to my thinking in all fields of the study of language. This has been for me a great personal satisfaction and a road to professional success.
Ricardo Otheguy
Graduate Center of the City University of New York (CUNY)
Program expenses (fellowships, books, website, and subscriptions) comprise 77.4% of the Society’s budget.
Administrative expenses (accounting, administrative staff, supplies) are just 22.6%.
According to Charity Navigator, a non-profit’s administrative expenses should be less than 35% of the total budget.
The Columbia School Linguistic Society, Inc., is a not-for-profit organization exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
All donations and membership fees are tax deductible.