The Ken Hale Chair

A Linguistic Institute Professorship in Field Methods

At their May 2003 meeting, the Linguistic Society of America Executive Committee proposed establishing a professorship in field methods for all future LSA Linguistic Institutes as a way to address the strongly felt need in our profession to document endangered languages and work with communities toward their preservation. Named for Ken Hale, a linguist whose dedication to studying and preserving endangered languages is legendary, the Chair will ensure that linguistics students have access to courses that prepare them to investigate poorly documented languages even if their own institution does not offer them.

Nearly $70,000 of the $200,000 needed to permanently fund the Ken Hale Chair has been raised thus far. The Society welcomes your financial support of this chair as well. Individuals may fill out the form below and return it to the LSA Secretariat or may simply send contributions clearly labeled "For Ken Hale Chair."

Join the Founder Donors listed below and help make the Ken Hale Chair a reality.

Arthur S. Abramson Sarah Hale Barbara H. Partee
Stephen Anderson Morris Halle Steven Pinker
Mark Aronoff and Frances Kelly Ray Jackendoff Susan Steele and Richard Oehrle
Joan Bybee Jay Keyser Elizabeth Traugott
Wallace Chafe and Marianne Mithun Ilse Lehiste Gregory Ward
Paul Chapin Winfred Lehman Thomas Wasow
Noam Chomsky Sally McConnell-Ginet Calvert Watkins
Dan Everett Shigeru Miyagawa Anthony Woodbury
Charles Fillmore Frederick J. Newmeyer Arnold Zwicky
The Dean and the Department of Linguistics and Philosophy at MIT

Download the donation form here. (pdf)