About the Society for Linguistic Anthropology (SLA)

Linguistic Anthropology is the comparative study of the ways in which language shapes social life. It explores the many ways in which practices of language use shape patterns of communication, formulate categories of social identity and group membership, organize large-scale cultural beliefs and ideologies, and, in conjunction with other semiotic practices, equip people with common cultural representations of their natural and social worlds. If you are interested in studying linguistic anthropology, be sure to visit our directory of linguistic anthropology programs.

The Society for Linguistic Anthropology (SLA) is a section of the American Anthropological Association (AAA). To join the SLA, please register via the AAA website. Membership entitles you to a complementary subscription to the Journal of Linguistic Anthropology. In addition to this website and blog, we also maintain several e-mail lists, organize academic meetings and awards for outstanding work in the discipline. See here for a list of officers and the by-laws of the SLA. If you’d like to contact the SLA, please use our contact form.