Linguistics

The National Science Foundation (NSF), through its Linguistics Program under the Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences (SBE), supports basic research focused on human language. This program is grounded in the NSF’s broader mission to promote the progress of science and advance national health, prosperity, and welfare. The Linguistics Program specifically targets investigations into the properties and structures of individual human languages and natural language in general. It covers a comprehensive range of linguistic domains including syntax, semantics, morphology, phonetics, and phonology. The program promotes interdisciplinary research that connects linguistic inquiry to fields such as cognitive science, neuroscience, social sciences, and computational linguistics. Priority is given to projects that seek to understand the psychological processes behind language use, the computational mechanics of language acquisition and processing, the interplay between physiological aspects of speech and theoretical models of language, and the sociocultural forces that influence language change and variation. This broad scope reflects the NSF’s commitment to uncovering fundamental principles of human language across its many dimensions. Proposals may come from individual scholars with a Ph.D. or equivalent qualification, and the program also encourages Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement (LING-DDRI) proposals, CAREER awards for early-career faculty, and conference support proposals. While the program funds basic research, it explicitly excludes projects that are primarily clinical or pedagogical in nature. This includes those aimed at improving clinical practices, applied language policies, or instructional tools. Additionally, NSF works in partnership with the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to support projects through the Dynamic Language Infrastructure – Documenting Endangered Languages (DLI-DEL) initiative, which focuses on research and infrastructure related to languages at risk of extinction. Applicants must follow guidelines outlined in the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG), applicable to the method of submission (either Research.gov or Grants.gov). Specific attention is required when submitting proposals for conference support, which must comply with Chapter II of the PAPPG. All proposals are expected to meet the standard requirements and must be submitted by the announced target dates. While the program uses "target dates" instead of strict deadlines, submissions must still comply with all requirements of the funding opportunity. The program operates on a recurring submission cycle with two annual target dates: January 15 and July 15. If the target date falls on a weekend or federal holiday, proposals are due the next federal business day. It is anticipated that review panels meet in April and November, with notifications to applicants issued within a few months following the panel meetings. Reviewers and panelists are actively recruited, and potential participants are encouraged to engage with the program. Key contacts for the Linguistics Program include Wilson de Lima Silva, Program Director, and Kenyatta Johnson, Program Specialist, both affiliated with SBE/BCS. Contact can be made via email or phone for questions regarding the program. The NSF emphasizes adherence to updated research security policies and award conditions, which are applicable for awards made on or after October 1, 2024. As of the current update, there are no associated downloadable PDF guidelines, but comprehensive details are available on the NSF’s official website.