GURT27-ACAL 58 Call for Papers

The organizing committee invites submissions for the 58th Annual Conference on African Linguistics (ACAL 58), in conjunction with the 2027 Georgetown University Round Table (GURT), which will be held from March 5 through March 7, 2027 on the Georgetown University Main Campus in Washington, D.C.

Submissions may address topics related to any area of African linguistics, and will be accepted for both talks (20 min + 10 min questions) and posters. In addition to general sessions, we will hold three special themed sessions on the following topics:

  • Non-Bantu Languages of Northeast Africa
  • Phonetics/Phonology Methodology
  • Underrepresented Languages in Linguistics

We especially welcome abstracts on topics related to the themes of these sessions. Please indicate in the submission form if you prefer that your abstract should be considered for any of the workshop sections. NB: If an abstract does not qualify for the selected workshop it will be considered for the general conference.

Due Dates

Early Deadline (for those requiring a visa*): October 15, 2026

Final Deadline: November 23, 2026

*For those authors requiring a visa to enter the United States, we strongly encourage abstracts to be submitted as soon as possible. Abstracts submitted by the October 15th deadline will be reviewed on a rolling basis, by no later than November 30. Participants should indicate visa application timelines in the ‘Visa Information’ section of the submission so that these abstracts may be prioritized. After the early deadline, please reach out to conference organizers by email (gurt@georgetown.edu) with any requests for expedited review, which we will do our best to accommodate. 

Abstract Guidelines

Abstracts should be written in English and submitted in PDF format. Abstracts should not exceed 1 page, with text no smaller than 11 pt, and margins no smaller than 1 inch on all sides. References, data, tables, and figures may extend to a second page. Any non-English data should be glossed according to Leipzig Glossing Rules.  

In order to preserve the blind review process, abstracts must be completely anonymized: authors should not include their names or reveal their identity anywhere in the abstract, including the references and the pdf document properties.

Participants may be listed as an author for up to two submissions, with a limit of one submission as the sole author, and the other as a collaborative paper. The conference will be held in person at Georgetown University’s Main Campus in Washington, D.C., with hybrid presentations and sessions offered as needed for those unable to attend in person.

Submission Instructions

Abstracts should be submitted through EasyChair at the following link:

Abstract Submission Page

Contact Information

Questions may be emailed to the organizing committee at gurt@georgetown.edu