CELP URGENT: Need list of theoretical advancements of DEL grants in next 22 hours!

[s.t. bischoff]

Perhaps some of you have already seen this...


---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Committee on Endangered Languages and their Preservation <
lsa.celp at gmail.com>
Date: Thu, Jul 7, 2011 at 3:13 PM
Subject: CELP URGENT: Need list of theoretical advancements of DEL grants in
next 22 hours!
To: Alexander King <a.king at abdn.ac.uk>, Alice Gaby <agaby at berkeley.edu>,
Andrea Berez <aberez at umail.ucsb.edu>, Arienne Dwyer <arienne at ku.edu>,
Benjamin Tucker <bvtucker at ualberta.ca>, Brad McDonnell <
bradley.mcdonnell at gmail.com>, Carmen Jany <cjany at csusb.edu>, Carolyn Mackay
<cjmackay at bsu.edu>, Claire Bowern <claire.bowern at yale.edu>, Colleen
Fitzgerald <cmfitz at uta.edu>, Daniel Hieber <dwhieb at gmail.com>, Elliott Hoey
<elliotthoey at gmail.com>, Emerson Odango <eodango at hawaii.edu>, Gabriela Perez
Baez <gperezbaez at gmail.com>, Gary Holton <gmholton at alaska.edu>, Gwendolyn
Hyslop <gwendolyn.hyslop at gmail.com>, Jack Martin <jbmart at wm.edu>, Jorge
Emilio Roses Labrada <jrosesla at uwo.ca>, Joyce McDonough <
joyce.mcdonough at rochester.edu>, Ken Rehg <rehg at hawaii.edu>, Kristen Perry <
kristencperry at gmail.com>, Lenore Grenoble <grenoble at uchicago.edu>, Liberty
Lidz <libertylidz at yahoo.com>, Lisa Conathan <lisa.conathan at yale.edu>, Lise
Dobrin <dobrin at virginia.edu>, Marcia Haag <haag at ou.edu>, Marianne Mithun <
mithun at linguistics.ucsb.edu>, Mary Linn <mslinn at ou.edu>, Mike Cahill <
mike_cahill at sil.org>, Onna Nelson <oanelson at umail.ucsb.edu>, Pat Shaw <
shawpa at interchange.ubc.ca>, Peter Austin <pa2 at soas.ac.uk>, Peter Cole <
pcole at udel.edu>, Richard Littauer <richard.littauer at gmail.com>, Ryan Shosted
<rshosted at illinois.edu>, Seunghun Lee <juliolee at gmail.com>, Stephanie
Gamble-Morse <stephaniemorse at umail.ucsb.edu>, Tim Thornes <tthornes at uca.edu>,
Wilson Silva <wilson.silva at utah.edu>
Cc: Alyson Reed <areed at lsadc.org>, Keren Rice <rice at chass.utoronto.ca>, Lyle
Campbell <lylecamp at hawaii.edu>, Michael Krauss <mkrauss at alaska.edu>, Spike
Gildea <spike at uoregon.edu>, Susan Penfield <susan.penfield at gmail.com>


Dear all,

I've just learned that the elimination of the NSF-DEL program is indeed
under discussion at NSF right now. The decision to have another call this
year was apparently quite tenuous, but they went through with it. A decision
to eliminate the program could be made at any point. I have written a letter
on behalf of the committee, with input from Peter Cole and Claire Bowern,
and I want to get it to the LSA Directorate FRIDAY JULY 8TH  and, once
they've seen it, send it to the Director of NSF immediately.

We need to make the case that DEL is a discovery-based science-intensive
unit, as opposed to just something that creates data that is interesting.
(!!!!! Isn't this a no-brainer?) It would be very helpful if I could
have*concrete examples of specific discoveries or theoretical
innovations that
arose directly from DEL grants.* (Example: based on this grant, I was able
to demonstrate a new type of reduplication; data from this grant allowed for
a refinement in the historical sub-branching of this family -- I don't need
details, at least at this point). But I need examples **right now**. I would
like to write a sentence saying "DEL grants have advanced linguistic theory
in phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, language change, historical
linguistics, cognitive linguistics (etc.)". But I want to have the empirical
basis for the statement established, so if one of these people at NSF ask
for specifics, I know I've got them.

IF YOU HAVE HAD A DEL GRANT, OR KNOW SOMEONE WHO HAS, please ask for
examples like this and send them back.

I will base my sentence in this letter on the examples that I receive *in
the next 22 hours. *That means by 5 a.m. on July 9th here in Cairns,
Australia. That is noon on July 8th in Pacific Standard Time and 3 p.m. July
8th in Eastern Standard Time. I know this is very abbreviated, but this
committee can work fast under pressure. if I can get enough examples by
then, I'll finish this up and get it to the LSA tomorrow afternoon. If all
goes well, our letter will be awaiting the attention of Director Suresh when
he gets to his office on Monday morning.

Thanks, everyone!

Best,
Carol