Full Title: Disruption or Continuity? Machine Learning Technology (AI) in Linguistics Research

Date: 09-Jun-2025 - 10-Jun-2025
Location: Dublin City University, Ireland, Ireland
Meeting Email: [email protected]

Linguistic Field(s): Computational Linguistics; Discipline of Linguistics; Phonetics; Pragmatics; Text/Corpus Linguistics
Subject Language(s): English (eng)

Call Deadline: 28-Feb-2025

Call for Papers:

-Title: Disruption or Continuity? Machine Learning Technology (AI) in Linguistics Research
- Co-editors: Iker Erdocia (Dublin City University), Bettina Migge (University College Dublin) and Britta Schneider (European University Viadrina)

Language technologies using machine learning have become ubiquitous in all aspects of life, and research is no exception. Due to a largely commercially driven agenda by a handful of big tech companies from Silicon Valley, machine-learning technologies are marketed as enabling the automatisation and simplification of tasks, thus making the execution of processes more cost-effective and speedy. In the particular realm of research, they are also marketed as providing deeper insights into phenomena, for example allowing for new understandings of a given area of inquiry and facilitating solutions to overcome methodological limitations. Furthermore, machine-learning technologies are opening up new research agendas both within existing disciplines and in interdisciplinary collaborations, sometimes even contributing to the establishment of new subdisciplines, such as Computational Sociology.
Linguistics, the academic discipline dedicated to researching language in all its facets, has not been immune to these developments. However, the different subfields and research endeavours that collectively constitute linguistics, broadly defined, have been affected by this trend to varying degrees. For instance, early syntax research got involved with the development of automatic, machine-based translation desired by the US military in the Cold War context to fund its own, fundamental research (Heller & McElhinny 2017). This engagement eventually led to the emergence of computational linguistics as computing resources became more accessible. However, much of syntactic research has remained independent of extensive reliance on technology. Phonetic and psycholinguistic research, in contrast, continues to adopt all kinds of computer-driven instrumental methods to accurately measure sound production phenomena and to expand the volume of processing. Socially, but particularly, historically-based (e.g. Piotrowski 2012) approaches to language have come to engage with the trend comparatively late, but automatic computer-based text analysis tools, increasingly driven by NLP approaches, and the focus on working with large (written) corpora are becoming commonplace. While theoretical approaches in linguistics have focused on abstract representations of linguistic structures and autonomous systems of relations to build rule-based models, many contemporary approaches, such as the ones used in Corpus Linguistics, echo that understanding of language by concentrating on textual data and machine-generated outputs, often with computational tools (Migge et al forthcoming). A separate branch of sociolinguistics, often referred to as computer-mediated communication, specialises in user interaction and the (written) outputs of communication technologies (e.g. Georgakopoulou & Spilioti 2020). Additionally, computational linguistics is dedicated to the automatic processing and analysis of language. While it draws on knowledge from other areas, it has begun forging stronger connections with some areas of linguistics (Opitz, Wein, & Schneider 2024).
Despite the growing technologisalisation of language-based research, there has been limited discussion about its impact on linguistic research in (inter)disciplinary terms (e.g., aims, practices and outcomes), including its epistemological and ontological dimensions. For instance, technological tools are often assessed based on the affordances they offer and the outputs they produce. However, little attention is given in linguistic research to the design of these tools, as well as the computational models and underlying conceptualisation of language that underpin them. Moreover, the use of technological tools is often presented as natural and inevitable, with limited critical examination of why such tools are necessary, justified and effective for the advancement of our area(s) of inquiry. Discussions about the ways in which technologisation affects our understanding of what constitutes research, e.g., the aims and function of (linguistic) research, and how and to what extent this is influencing existing understandings of language across linguistics, are also scarce.

The aim of this special issue is to open up a dialogue both within linguistics and across disciplinary boundaries. We seek to engage with linguists from different subdisciplines (e.g., sociolinguistics, phonetics, corpus linguistics, pragmatics, applied linguistics and language documentation), including computational linguistics, while also connecting with technology designers. However, our main goal is to interpel the linguistic community and encourage critical reflection on these issues. We propose to address some of the following questions:
- Is this increased technologisation of linguistics leading to new conceptualisations of language or is it serving to reinforce old ones?
- How do scholars with different epistemologies of language negotiate the design, goals and scope of interdisciplinary projects that involve language technologies?
- What is the role of humans in the linguistic research process?
- Are digital language technologies in this process seen as neutral support for human-centred research activities?
- How do the ideological and commercial aspects of technology influence the design, aims and intended impact of research in linguistics?
- Do new training needs arise from these developments and how are linguists engaging with these developments?
- What is driving the adoption of machine-learning technologies?
These are only some of the important issues of interest.

Contributors are asked to submit a 500-word abstract (excluding references) to the guest editors: ([email protected], [email protected] and [email protected]). Abstracts will be evaluated based on their balanced representation of the different subdisciplines within linguistics in the special issue and the overall quality of their engagement with the proposed questions. Authors of selected abstracts will be invited to present their papers at a workshop that the co-editors will organise on June 9th and 10th at Dublin City University. A limited amount of funding, generously provided by the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Dublin City University, may be available to cover the costs of in-person participation. Additionally, a selection of contributors will be invited to submit a full paper (3,000-4,000 words), which will undergo peer review for inclusion in a special issue of the journal Linguistics Vanguard. The contributors to the special collection should follow the general submission guidelines for the journal (https://www.degruyter.com/view/j/lingvan#callForPapersHeader).
For queries, please contact [email protected]

Estimated timeline:
- Abstracts due by 28th February 2025
- Notification to authors by 15th March
- Oral presentation of paper at workshop in DCU (9th and 10th June)
- Full paper due by 5th of September
- Reviews to be completed by 1st of December
- Publication by February 2026