Today, the Linguistic Society of America is pleased to announce the creation of a new charitable contribution fund in memory of linguist Emmon Bach.

Emmon Bach (1929 - 2014) was renowned for his work in syntax and semantics, particularly in Haisla and other languages of British Columbia. Beyond his scientific interests, he was concerned with language rights and problems of language endangerment. Emmon served as President of the LSA in 1995 and was also active in the Society for the Study of Indigenous Languages; he was President of SSILA at the time of his death. Dr. Bach was Professor Emeritus of Linguistics at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, and was also affiliated with the University of London, Oxford University, and the University of Northern British Columbia.

The Bach Fund will be used to support student fellowships at CoLang, the Institute for Collaborative Language Research. The CoLang Institute is held every other year to provide an opportunity for a diverse range of participants (including students and community members) to become trained in a wide range of skills in community-centered language documentation. The LSA hopes to reach our fundraising goal of $50,000 (with over $20,000 already contributed) in time to offer the first award at CoLang 2016, to be held next summer at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

Donations are being accepted immediately for the Emmon Bach Fund. Read more about the Bach Fund and Dr. Bach's work on the LSA website.

The Linguistic Society is a non-profit organization exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The LSA Federal Identification Number is 74-6043371. As a non-profit organization, the LSA may qualify for corporate donation-matching programs. Prospective donors may review a copy of the LSA's most recent federal tax return (Form 990) here (PDF).