Linguistics consortium brings two new organizations to campus

By Richie Su     4/15/25 10:06pm

At the induction ceremony for the inaugural cohort of linguistic emissaries April 10, faculty, scholars and guests gathered to celebrate the launch of two new institutions for linguistics at Rice University: the Texas Linguistics Consortium and the Center for Advancing Linguistic Science. 

The mission of the Center for Advancing Linguistic Science is to promote the utilization of linguistic research to enhance the human condition worldwide, according to Rachel Kimbro, the dean of the School of Social Sciences. 

“Not only will this new center help to enhance the Department of Linguistics with plans for new programmatic offerings and research support, but it will also provide support to the department’s stellar scholars as they push the boundaries of research within this field,” Kimbro said. “Together, we will prioritize innovation, lead collaborative research and solutions-oriented scholarship on social, economic and systemic barriers.”

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The Center for Advancing Linguistic Science will cooperate with many other academic departments on campus, Kimbro said.

“[It] will operate in a rich intellectual environment on campus with potential links to the Center for African and African American Studies, the Center for Computational Insights on Inequality and Society at Rice, the Ken Kennedy Institute and more,” Kimbro said.

The Texas Linguistics Consortium is the first such organization under the Center for Advancing Linguistic Science, which is composed of linguistics scholars from across Texas. The consortium aims to connect statewide academic communities and enhance linguistic research at Rice. 

“This endeavor is an example of the forward looking collaborations university leaders envisioned when we began our 10-year strategic plan at Rice,” said Provost Amy Dittmar in the opening speech.

John Baugh, a professor of linguistics, helped facilitate the creation of the two new linguistics institutions. Baugh began his academic career at the University of Texas at Austin in 1979, and developed long standing relationships with linguists across Texas. 

“I realized that I had a network of colleagues who were very distinguished linguists at many of the public universities throughout the state, and because the [Rice] department is relatively small, I saw an opportunity for us to collaborate with our colleagues at other universities in a partnership,” Baugh said.

Other faculty members of the department of linguistics also expressed their excitement for the opportunities these initiatives will bring. 

“Maybe it’s a well-kept secret at Rice that we’re an exciting department,” said Caroline Crouch, a lecturer in the linguistics department. “I think it’s nice for our colleagues in the social sciences and across the university to get to know what we’re doing and how many different ways there are of doing research with linguistics, and with linguists from so many different disciplinary perspectives.”

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