Grammatical Description Workshop 2026 Application Form

Introduction

Thank you for your interest in the 2026 Grammatical Description Workshop.

This workshop will run from June 1 to July 31, 2026 in Langley, British Columbia, Canada.

The CanIL Summer Orientation takes place on May 31, 2026, and while it is optional for workshop participants, consultants and facilitators, we strongly encourage and welcome you to attend.

If you have any questions, please contact admissions@canil.ca.

My Role in the Workshop

I am applying for this workshop as a:

Participant (working on a language project and receiving consultation)Sr Consultant (providing consultation to participants)Facilitator

Workshop Admissions Requirements

Please answer the following questions to determine if you meet the requirements to attend the Grammatical Description Workshop.

1. I want to describe some aspect(s) of the grammar of a lesser-known or undocumented language, with possible hopes of publishing an article or grammar.

YesNo

2. I have previous formal linguistics training (in phonetics, phonology, grammar, etc.).

Yes, I have a degree in linguistics.Yes, I have taken some linguistics courses.No

Please provide details regarding the institution and the degree and / or courses that were taken.

3. I have a corpus of at least three fully interlinearized texts of different genres in a digitized and searchable database.

Yes, I have a corpus of at least three fully interlinearized texts of different genres in a digitized and searchable database.Yes, I will have a corpus of at least three fully interlinearized texts of different genres in a digitized and searchable database at least one month before the workshop begins.No, I do not have such a corpus.

4. I have a good understanding of the phonology of the language, including all distinctive features such as tone, vowel qualities, vowel and consonant length; all these features are fully marked on the transcription used in my digital corpus.

Yes, I have a good understanding of the phonology, and all distinctive features will be fully marked on the data I bring wot the workshop.No, I do not have a good understanding of the phonology, and my data is not fully marked regarding the distinctive features.

5. I serve with SIL or another organization of the Global Bible Translation Movement as a technical advisor or consultant (in training).

YesNo

If you do not serve with SIL or another organization of the Global Bible Translation Movement please share your employment circumstances, training, field supervision, and technical support arrangements here, in order to proceed with the application. (In this instance, answering NO will not disqualify you from proceeding, if you complete this question thoroughly)

6. I understand that this workshop will be held in person for the duration of the workshop (9 weeks). The workshop will be held on the campus of Trinity Western University in Langley, British Columbia, Canada.

Yes, I will attend in person. I understand that I am responsible to research and obtain all required documentation that will allow me to enter Canada.No, I am unable to attend in person, and I will email inquiry@canil.ca to explain my situation.

If the answer to 1-4 is NO, please DO NOT PROCEED. You do not meet eligibility requirements for the Grammatical Description Workshop.

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Personal Information

First Name:

Middle Name:

Last Name:

Email Address:

Phone (that will be used in Canada):

Note that using WhatsApp is possible for travel purposes and dorm living.

Citizenship:

Gender:

MaleFemale

Birthdate:

Contact Information

Permanent Address

Permanent Street Address #1:

Permanent Street Address #2:

City:

Province / State:

Postal Code:

Country:

My current address is different from my permanent address:

Current Address

Current Street Address #1

Current Street Address #2

City:

Province / State:

Postal Code:

Country:

Should you be accepted, what address should be on this formal letter? This letter would be used for your administrative and immigration purposes, and we will email it to you.

Permanent AddressCurrent Address

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Language Information

Which country or area are you working as a linguist? (if not confidential):

Which language are you working in (if not confidential) and / or what is the Ethnologue ISO 639-3 code (if known)?:

How long have you been doing linguistic research in this language?

What do you hope to accomplish at the workshop?

Consultant Language Expertise

What language family or continent would best suit your current experience?

Registration Details

Time: 9 weeks (June 1 to July 31, 2026)
CanIL Summer Orientation: May 31, 2026 (optional but strongly encouraged)

Cost: $500 (not including housing, meals and other fees)
Payment for the Grammatical Description Workshop is due by March 31, 2026 and is done by PayPal. The link will be sent to you upon acceptance to the workshop.

Feel free to correspond with Andreas Joswig by email (andreas_joswig@sil.org)

with any language data related questions as you prepare for the workshop.

Workshop Activities and Courses

A key workshop activity will include sitting in on the LING 4/560 Morphosyntax II class. You will not submit homework assignments, receive any grades nor receive any academic credit for participating in this workshop activity.

I understand that part of the workshop will include sitting in on the LING 4/560 Morphosyntax II class. I understand that by participating in this workshop and sitting in on this class I will not receive any academic credit.

YesNo

If, however, you wish to take the LING 4/560 Morphosyntax II course, or any other CanIL course, for full academic credit, you will need to apply at www.canil.ca/apply in addition to this workshop application.

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Insurance

It is required that you have sufficient health insurance to cover you during this workshop and your time at CanIL.

I understand that health insurance is required, and I will purchase sufficient insurance for my stay in Canada, and will show proof of insurance via PDF document before I arrive.

My citizenship is outside of Canada, and I will purchase sufficient health insurance.I am Canadian and am covered by my provincial health provider.

Photo Directory

CanIL has an internal photo directory that faculty and staff use in order to get to know all our students and workshop participants.

If you are accepted would you be willing to be listed in this directory?

YesNo

If yes, please upload the photo to be used in the photo directory, should you be accepted and attend the workshop.

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Further Information

Please use this area if you have any further details that you wish for us to know.

Thank you for your interest in the Grammatical Description Workshop and for submitting this application. We will be in touch with you shortly.