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    <p><br>
    </p>
    <p>I wonder what the best predictor for our voting behaviour ist:
      Sex/gender or place of residence.<br>
    </p>
    <p>My problem with this particular code is that it conveys a feeling
      of Western supremacism. Being written in English, it suggests that
      the evaluative adjectives ('offensive', 'inapproprtate',
      'unwelcome') are to be interpreted according to the standards of
      the Anglo-Saxon world. More specifically, the code uses the style
      of American administration (just compare it to the friendly
      Australian version that Martin suggested; I wonder if there is a
      polite British version, too ;-) ), suggesting that it is the
      (puritan) American standards that are to be applied, and the
      examples given by Claire Bowern point in this direction. Asking
      women (plural) where they are staying -- did I get this right that
      this is supposed to be a reason for being expelled from the
      conference? (Note that I've never done this, and I'm not planning
      to do it.) Using examples where men beat women -- I was actually
      scheduled for a talk in the corpus-based typology workshop (can't
      attend for independent reasons) where I wanted to present my
      annotation work done on the basis of the 'Family Problems Picture
      Task', developed at the MPI Nijmegen, which (for good reasons)
      uses domestic violence as a stimulus. Would I have been allowed to
      present that work?<br>
    </p>
    <p>Frankly, I wasn't aware that sexual harassment at conferences is
      such a big problem. Of course I believe you that it is, as a man I
      just haven't noticed that. And I gather from Kristin's message
      that there is some pressure from your universities. But please
      don't forget that we are, in a positive sense, a global
      association, with many people from various cultures, with
      different standards with respect to body contact, verbal
      interaction, etc. (e.g. what's considered a "compliment" in some
      cultures counts as harassment in others; being German, I'm just
      another puritan in this respect, don't worry; but it's not just us
      Americans, Germans, Australians etc.).</p>
    <p>Volker<br>
    </p>
    <br>
    <div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 20/11/17 19:02, Kristine Hildebrandt
      wrote:<br>
    </div>
    <blockquote type="cite"
cite="mid:CAPro=TrYnooCX-OmkMo8VBN78sm-ZZ-6sM-L8_Sci8Cp8k-FVA@mail.gmail.com">
      <div dir="ltr"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif">I
          respectfully disagree with Martin, although his comments (and
          David's) regarding unclarity do resonate with me. And this
          response comes from me personally, as an ALT member, and not
          as an Officer.</font>
        <div><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><br>
          </font></div>
        <div><span style="color:rgb(29,33,41);letter-spacing:-0.12px;white-space:pre-wrap"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif">As an employee of a U.S./North American university, I'm obliged to go through mandatory annual trainings and periodic refreshers on what constitutes harassment/assault (sexual or other), how to "not do it", how to spot it when it might be happening to me/a colleague/a student, and what to do about that if I do suspect it (as a faculty member in the U.S. I'm actually under a legal obligation to <i>not</i> do <i>nothing</i>). I've found that there are so many definitions (often constructed as examples), so many nuances, so many lines that may or may not be crossed, that the whole experience can be somewhat dizzying and mind-numbing. But: I also feel from a woman's perspective, and this moves me beyond U.S. bounds--and I've also lived and worked in enough places now to be able to say this--that this very vagueness in *just what harassment is*, and the resulting back-stepping from dealing with it (even via symbolic language), is one reason why harassment/assault/discriminat<wbr>ory and predatory practice has managed to go on for so long and perpetuate, evolve, and expand in such insidious ways. As if to say: "If we can't pinpoint it, we can't deal with it". That's unacceptable to me.</font></span></div>
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</font></span></div>
        <div><span style="color:rgb(29,33,41);letter-spacing:-0.12px;white-space:pre-wrap"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif">I do also (again respectfully) disagree somewhat with David's observation that "most of us are good people who sometimes make mistakes...a few are rotten apples". I engage in no finger pointing, here. In my own personal encounters as a professional, I've only ever encountered the good people. But my world of professional interaction is only a very small subset, and I've heard enough accounts from other reliable colleagues from many backgrounds to know that they could have benefited from the presence of such codes, even if largely symbolic in power. It matters. I have been pleased to see codes of conduct slowly making their appearance in other Associations, even if their language does raise discussion about interpretation and application.</font></span></div>
        <div><span style="color:rgb(29,33,41);letter-spacing:-0.12px;white-space:pre-wrap"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif">
</font></span></div>
        <div><span style="color:rgb(29,33,41);letter-spacing:-0.12px;white-space:pre-wrap"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif">The challenge of vague terminology and cross-cultural variations in interpretations should not prevent this code from becoming a part of the ALT statues. Vagueness in terms of consequences, for example, can easily be fleshed out by the organizing committees and institutions putting together the meeting. In the U.S. we can turn to the policies held at the university level for guidance, for example. </font></span></div>
        <div><span style="color:rgb(29,33,41);letter-spacing:-0.12px;white-space:pre-wrap"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><b>
</b></font></span></div>
        <div><span style="color:rgb(29,33,41);letter-spacing:-0.12px;white-space:pre-wrap"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><b>I recommend a 'yes' vote.</b> If a 'no' vote does prevail, then I hope it is simply because the language here needs refinement and people are open to that process. I do urge ALT members <b>not</b> to simply assume that this Association (or any other) gets to 'opt out' of this issue, so I would welcome some discussion on this towards crafting revised language, either online or during a special session, language </font></span><span style="color:rgb(29,33,41);font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;letter-spacing:-0.12px;white-space:pre-wrap">that </span><i style="color:rgb(29,33,41);font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;letter-spacing:-0.12px;white-space:pre-wrap">can</i><span style="color:rgb(29,33,41);font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;letter-spacing:-0.12px;white-space:pre-wrap"> eventually be adopted formally.</span><br>
        </div>
        <div><span style="color:rgb(29,33,41);letter-spacing:-0.12px;white-space:pre-wrap"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif">
</font></span></div>
        <div><span style="color:rgb(29,33,41);letter-spacing:-0.12px;white-space:pre-wrap"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif">And finally, I especially disagree with Martin that this ballot item and vote distracts from other (equally/more) important issues before ALT. I think we can take on/discuss/take action on any number of issues, even simultaneously. A code of conduct statement has nothing to do (in my mind) with a failure to take other steps to make other participants feel welcome within the Association and related events. I just don't see how this step precludes other discussions on other matters aimed at making ALT a more inclusive organization. Granted, my history here is shallow, and I don't always get to attend the meetings or be in all of the discussion loops. Perhaps there have been failed initiatives in the past and I'm oblivious to these, but with successive officer/EC/membership changes through time, we can (and should) revisit them. So it will perhaps be with this vote!</font></span></div>
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</font></span></div>
        <div><span style="color:rgb(29,33,41);letter-spacing:-0.12px;white-space:pre-wrap"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif">Thanks for hearing me, and I do appreciate all positions and perspectives on this important issue.</font></span></div>
        <div><br>
        </div>
      </div>
      <div class="gmail_extra"><br>
        <div class="gmail_quote">On Mon, Nov 20, 2017 at 8:09 AM, Martin
          Haspelmath <span dir="ltr"><<a
              href="mailto:haspelmath@shh.mpg.de" target="_blank"
              moz-do-not-send="true">haspelmath@shh.mpg.de</a>></span>
          wrote:<br>
          <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0
            .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
            <div bgcolor="#FFFFFF" text="#000000"> Thanks to the EC for
              its efforts, but I would strongly urge all ALT members to
              vote AGAINST the code of conduct.<br>
              <br>
              Such codes of conduct may be needed, but the present
              formulation is incompatible with free science.<br>
              <br>
              There is no definition of "harrassment" (just some
              examples of what harrassment is), and the formulation
              "offensive comments related to aspects of identity" is
              terribly vague. <br>
              <br>
              On the basis of such a code of conduct, almost anything
              that is controversial could be construed as violating the
              code, so anyone could be expelled from the conference,
              even though they are trying to make a serious contribution
              to science.<br>
              <br>
              It's completely unclear who has the authority to "find
              conference participants in violation", and how
              participants could defend themselves if wrongly accused. I
              would not want to attend a conference with such rules, as
              I would not feel safe to express my (potentially
              controversial) scientific ideas.<br>
              <br>
              So the present formulation is completely counterproductive
              and dangerous for ALT.<br>
              <br>
              I am aware that in Anglo-American culture, such codes of
              conduct are more and more widespread, but there are big
              cultural differences. In most parts of the world,
              precarious employment and restrictions on travel are much
              more urgent problems that are worth thinking about. I
              suggest that ALT's EC consider also other options to make
              people feel welcome at ALT conferences, e.g. to increase
              the participation fees for participants from rich
              countries substantially, in order to alleviate the
              outrageous obstacles to conference participation that many
              (potential) ALT members face.<br>
              <br>
              I'm all for addressing the problem of harrassment, but
              only if it clear what exactly consitutes harrassment, and
              if there is no threat of expelling participants from ALT
              conferences. (Or if there is such a  threat, then there
              should be a due process, as we're used to in free
              societies, rather than an arbitrary decision by some
              unspecified authority.) Maybe there should be a larger
              discussion at the ALT conference, or on the LINGTYP List.<br>
              <br>
              Best wishes,<br>
              Martin<br>
              <br>
              <br>
              <div class="m_-1868194241076609119moz-cite-prefix">On
                20.11.17 14:24, Kristine Hildebrandt wrote:<br>
              </div>
              <blockquote type="cite">
                <div dir="ltr">
                  <div>Dear ALT members:</div>
                  <div><br>
                  </div>
                  <div>We have two important items up for vote. Both
                    items are contained in a single electronic ballot,
                    which can be found here:</div>
                  <div><br>
                  </div>
                  <div><a class="m_-1868194241076609119gmail-survey-link
                      m_-1868194241076609119gmail-ng-binding"
                      href="https://siue.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6id2p5qEU7W3tzf"
                      target="_blank" moz-do-not-send="true">https://siue.co1.qualtrics.<wbr>com/jfe/form/SV_<wbr>6id2p5qEU7W3tzf</a><br>
                  </div>
                  <div><br>
                  </div>
                  <div>This link allows you to vote exactly once, and
                    the origin of the vote is untraceable (ie. the vote
                    is anonymous to me when I collect the results).</div>
                  <div><br>
                  </div>
                  <div>Item 1:</div>
                  <div>Of the six current Executive Committee members,
                    three are rotating off, and need to be replaced
                    (Felix Ameka, Isabelle Bril, Keren Rice). Three
                    continue for another term: Silvia Luraghi, Stepehen
                    Matthews, Felicity Meakins.</div>
                  <div><br>
                  </div>
                  <div>The ALT nominating committee identified and
                    consulted with three nominees for the EC: Mark
                    Dingemanse, Rachel Nordlinger, and Ljuba Veselinova.</div>
                  <div><br>
                  </div>
                  <div>When you go the e-ballot, you will see brief
                    bio-sketches of the three nominees. You can vote for
                    all three together, or for any individual. And even
                    if you do not vote for any nominee, you can still
                    vote on Item #2 (below).</div>
                  <div><br>
                  </div>
                  <div>We are grateful to both the outgoing EC members,
                    and to the Nominating Committee (Nick Enfield, Nina
                    Dobrushina, Martin Haspelmath, and Claire Bowern)
                    for their work for ALT.</div>
                  <div><br>
                  </div>
                  <div>Item 2:</div>
                  <div><br>
                  </div>
                  <div>The ALT Officers (Jeff Good, Dmitry Idiatov, and
                    me), in consultation with the EC have drawn up a
                    code of conduct statement to be added to the ALT
                    statutes. Please vote either for or against the
                    adoption of this code.</div>
                  <div><br>
                  </div>
                  <div><b>Voting is now open as of this email. The
                      deadline to vote is Tuesday December 5 at 5pm
                      Central Standard Time.</b></div>
                  <div><br>
                  </div>
                  <div>Thank you!</div>
                  -- <br>
                  <div class="m_-1868194241076609119gmail_signature">
                    <div dir="ltr">
                      <div>
                        <div dir="ltr">
                          <div>
                            <div dir="ltr">
                              <div dir="ltr">
                                <div dir="ltr">
                                  <div dir="ltr">
                                    <div dir="ltr">Orche<br>
                                      ('Thanks' in Manange)
                                      <div><br>
                                        <i>Kristine A. Hildebrandt</i></div>
                                      <div><i style="font-size:12.8px">Associate
                                          Professor, <a
                                            href="http://www.siue.edu/artsandsciences/english/"
                                            target="_blank"
                                            moz-do-not-send="true">Department
                                            of English Language &
                                            Literature</a></i><i><br>
                                        </i></div>
                                      <div><i>Secretary, <a
                                            href="http://www.linguistic-typology.org/"
                                            target="_blank"
                                            moz-do-not-send="true">Association
                                            for Linguistic Typology</a><br>
                                        </i></div>
                                      <div><i>Editor, <a
                                            href="http://escholarship.org/uc/himalayanlinguistics"
                                            target="_blank"
                                            moz-do-not-send="true">Himalayan
                                            Linguistics</a></i></div>
                                      <div><span style="font-size:small">Check
                                          out our </span><a
                                          href="https://mananglanguages.isg.siue.edu/"
style="color:rgb(17,85,204);font-size:small" target="_blank"
                                          moz-do-not-send="true">Manang
                                          Languages</a><span
                                          style="font-size:small"> project
                                          page!</span><br>
                                      </div>
                                      <div><i>Southern Illinois
                                          University Edwardsville</i>
                                        <div><i>Box 1431<br>
                                            Edwardsville, IL 62026
                                            U.S.A.<br>
                                            <a
                                              href="tel:%28618%29%20650-3991"
                                              value="+16186503991"
                                              target="_blank"
                                              moz-do-not-send="true">618-650-3991</a>
                                            (department voicemail)</i>
                                          <div><i><a
                                                href="mailto:khildeb@siue.edu"
                                                target="_blank"
                                                moz-do-not-send="true">khildeb@siue.edu</a><br>
                                              <a
                                                href="http://www.siue.edu/%7Ekhildeb"
                                                target="_blank"
                                                moz-do-not-send="true">http://www.siue.edu/~khildeb</a></i></div>
                                        </div>
                                      </div>
                                    </div>
                                  </div>
                                </div>
                              </div>
                            </div>
                          </div>
                        </div>
                      </div>
                    </div>
                  </div>
                </div>
                <br>
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                <br>
                <pre>______________________________<wbr>_________________
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</font></span></pre>
                <span class="HOEnZb"><font color="#888888"> </font></span></blockquote>
              <span class="HOEnZb"><font color="#888888"> <br>
                  <pre class="m_-1868194241076609119moz-signature" cols="72">-- 
Martin Haspelmath (<a class="m_-1868194241076609119moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:haspelmath@shh.mpg.de" target="_blank" moz-do-not-send="true">haspelmath@shh.mpg.de</a>)
Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History
Kahlaische Strasse 10   
D-07745 Jena  
&
Leipzig University 
IPF 141199
Nikolaistrasse 6-10
D-04109 Leipzig    





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                </font></span></div>
            <br>
            ______________________________<wbr>_________________<br>
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        -- <br>
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                          <div dir="ltr">Orche<br>
                            ('Thanks' in Manange)
                            <div><br>
                              <i>Kristine A. Hildebrandt</i></div>
                            <div><i style="font-size:12.8px">Associate
                                Professor, <a
                                  href="http://www.siue.edu/artsandsciences/english/"
                                  target="_blank" moz-do-not-send="true">Department
                                  of English Language & Literature</a></i><i><br>
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                            <div><i>Secretary, <a
                                  href="http://www.linguistic-typology.org/"
                                  target="_blank" moz-do-not-send="true">Association
                                  for Linguistic Typology</a><br>
                              </i></div>
                            <div><i>Editor, <a
                                  href="http://escholarship.org/uc/himalayanlinguistics"
                                  target="_blank" moz-do-not-send="true">Himalayan
                                  Linguistics</a></i></div>
                            <div><span style="font-size:small">Check out
                                our </span><a
                                href="https://mananglanguages.isg.siue.edu/"
style="color:rgb(17,85,204);font-size:small" target="_blank"
                                moz-do-not-send="true">Manang Languages</a><span
                                style="font-size:small"> project page!</span><br>
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                            <div><i>Southern Illinois University
                                Edwardsville</i>
                              <div><i>Box 1431<br>
                                  Edwardsville, IL 62026 U.S.A.<br>
                                  618-650-3991 (department voicemail)</i>
                                <div><i><a
                                      href="mailto:khildeb@siue.edu"
                                      target="_blank"
                                      moz-do-not-send="true">khildeb@siue.edu</a><br>
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                                      href="http://www.siue.edu/%7Ekhildeb"
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      <pre wrap="">_______________________________________________
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