The 2026 Georgetown University Round Table

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Georgetown University Round Table (GURT)

The Georgetown University Round Table on Languages and Linguistics (GURT) is an annual academic conference that has been held since 1949 at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. GURT is one of the most prestigious and long-standing conferences in the field of linguistics.

GURT’s primary aim is to provide a platform for scholars, researchers, and linguists from around the world to come together and discuss a wide range of topics related to language and linguistics. Each year’s conference has a specific theme within the field, with presentations, panel discussions, and roundtables organized around that theme.

Over the years, GURT has covered a broad spectrum of topics, including but not limited to discourse analysis, language acquisition, language variation, assessment, phonetics and syntax.  By covering these themes, GURT has played a significant role in advancing research and promoting collaboration among language scholars.

Round Table with a group of selected scholars, students, and practitioners.
Networking Opportunities: Connect with researchers in the field of language and food.
Publication Opportunities: Select papers will be considered for publication in the GURT Series published by Georgetown University Press.

GURT 2026 | Futuring Linguistics: Content, Curriculum, and Careers

What does the future of linguistics look like? If current trends in the field continue, as well as in academia and education, the vast majority of linguistics graduates will find employment in tech, business, government and nonprofit.

GURT 2026 will be a place for linguists from a wide range of subdisciplinary and career trajectories to have important conversations about what’s next for linguistics? What innovations are we engaging in at the levels of content, curriculum and pedagogy, and career education? We welcome abstracts for individual papers, posters, and colloquiums that engage with any aspect of the following:

  1. Careers: How are content and pedagogy connected to a wide range of career pathways? What should be included in linguistics education to prepare for the next decades of careers? What feedback do linguists working in business, government, nonprofit and tech have for linguistics programs in terms of content and training?
  2. Content: What is linguistics? What content should linguistics programs teach now so that graduates are prepared to be flexible and effective in their careers? How can linguistics programs continue to fulfill their educational mission while also making clear how the knowledge and skills learned in those programs translate into valuable career skills?
  3. Curriculum and pedagogy: How do linguistics professors teach linguistics? How do departments recruit and retain students from a diverse array of backgrounds as the future leaders of our field? 


GURT2026 will represent a number of different academic and professional perspectives on linguistics. Let’s take this opportunity to share practices that can enliven and invigorate our teaching, research and work in various organizational contexts to keep linguistics a strong, viable area of training, research and post-graduate employment for years to come. 

If you have questions or comments, please email us at gurt@georgetown.edu