mit linguistics dissertations

Linguistics: Finding books, articles, and more

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Discover books, articles or other information on your topic

In order by importance in the field of linguistics.

• Linguistics and Language Behavior Abstracts (LLBA) Primary search engine in linguistics. Indexes and abstracts journal articles, book reviews, books, book chapters, dissertations and working papers in all aspects of the study of language including phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax and semantics. more... less... http://proquest.libguides.com/llba/about
• JSTOR: Linguistics JSTOR is an archival database of journals, books and other materials. Most of its journals are available from the first issue to three to five years ago via a moving wall. more... less... A moving wall is a set period of time (usually three to five years) between a journal issue’s publication date and its availability as archival content on JSTOR. The moving wall for each journal is set by the publisher to define the portion of its publication history constituting its archive.
• Enhanced Electronic Grammars (DeGruyter) This unique online resource makes full grammars available together in an interlinked and semantically-annotated format, allowing granular access to the grammatical data and enabling cross-language research of several grammars at the same time. In addition to cross-linguistic queries, each grammar can also be read and researched individually. The electronic format allows for multimodal enhancement of language descriptions, such as audio and video supplements. more... less... Available grammars: Aguaruna (Iiniá Chicham), Alto Perené, Bangime, Bardi, Basque, Belep, Berbice Dutch, Bunan, Cavineña, Daakaka, Domari, Emai, Eton, Fa d’Ambô, Goemai, Hinuq, Hup, Jamsay, Kakataibo, Karbi, Khatso, Kolyma Yukaghir, Kulina, Kuuk Thaayorre, Kwaza, Lao, Lavukaleve, Madurese, Mani, Mapuche, Mian, Mina, Mongsen Ao, Neverver, Qaqet, Qiang, Saramaccan Creole, Savosavo, Seenku, Sierra Popoluca, Siraya, Teiwa, Tommo So, Toqabaqita, Tundra Nenets, Urarina, Vaeakau-Taumako, and more! The database is updated biannually, integrating several new grammar publications each year for even more extensive cross-linguistic research.

Find books or articles that you already know about

• Worldcat Find and borrow non-MIT books. Worldcat is an online catalog of libraries from all over the world. Use the Request button to get books from other libraries delivered to MIT.
• Interlibrary Borrowing Another way to borrow books from other libraries, or to get articles to journals for which we have no subscription.
• MIT Theses Download MIT dissertations and theses from DSpace@MIT. If it is not in DSpace, use Barton (see above).
• Non-MIT Theses and Dissertations Find theses written at other universities world-wide.
• Visit Harvard and other Non-MIT Libraries Your MIT ID offers you access to other libraries' collections locally and worldwide.

Encylopedias and dictionaries

If you are looking to understand something more deeply, here are a number of online options for definitions and explanations.

• International Encyclopedia of Linguistics
• Encyclopedia of Language and Linguistics
• Oxford Handbooks Online -- Linguistics
• OED Oxford English Dictionary
• Atlas of North American English: PDF Open Access PDF of the print version of this work.
• Atlas of North American English: Supplement Supplement: Phonetics, Phonology, and Sound Change (with audio files)
• Linguistic Data Management The Oxford Handbook of Linguistic Fieldwork Edited by Nicholas Thieberger (2011)

Linguist List: Book Reviews

Linguistic data consortium (available 2016-present).

To access corpora from 2016-present that are available for download: 

• Under "Organization" look for  "Massachusetts Institute of Technology - MIT - Libraries" and select that option from the resulting drop-down menu. Do not use abbreviated form (e.g. "MIT") please type the whole string above to access the correct account.
• The libraries will approve your account within one business day. (If you don't receive an email, check your spam filter).
• The datasets that MIT Libraries has access to will be listed.
• If you need a corpus that is only available by hard drive or requires a separate license before download, please email [email protected] . Please note that if you need to use a dataset that requires a special license signed by the individual user, your name may be available to other MIT LDC users.
• If you need a pre-2016 corpus that we don’t have subscription access to, please fill out this form . Please note that typical delivery time is 5-7 business days – this can vary based on corpora cost and license(s), so some may take longer!

For all MIT users, available corpora  are listed by year  on the LDC site (MIT Libraries’ access to LDC corpora is limited to corpora published from 2016 on). Note that the corpora available as CDs or DVDs from 2016-present can be accessed by individual title through the  Library’s Catalog .

Linguistics Librarian

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• Last Updated: Sep 1, 2023 10:33 AM
• URL: https://libguides.mit.edu/linguistics

If you would like to publish a paper or collection of papers as a MITWPL volume, please contact us .

This page is especially for editors of and contributors to volumes in the MIT Working Papers in Linguistics (MITWPL) series and specialty series such as Endangered and Less Familiar Languages. Here you will find the MITWPL style template and other resources and guidelines for contributors and editors . Contributors should contact their editors about any specific guidelines and requirements.

If you are an editor and want to post your guidelines here, please contact us .

Style Template

Papers submitted for publication in a MITWPL volume (volumes 57 and above) should conform to the formatting standard of the MITWPL style template.

The template may be downloaded in two formats:

• MITWPL style template in LaTeX (ZIP file)
• MITWPL style template in Microsoft Word

Documents produced in LaTeX are generally of a higher graphical quality than documents produced in Microsoft Word. The latter is generally more accessible (in various senses) than the former. We therefore encourage the use of the LaTeX template subject to the ability and convenience of editors as well as contributors. Following are the layout specifications embodied in the template:

To achieve the spaces that are given in terms of the character “x,” we suggest you color it white.

Publishing Agreement

MITWPL is the official publisher of all MITWPL volumes. Copyright belongs to the author of each paper, and MITWPL freely permits publication of papers elsewhere. Authors are asked to sign the publishing agreement, which may be downloaded here:

• MITWPL publishing agreement (PDF file)

Guidelines for Contributors

Here are some guidelines for preparing your paper for publication in a MITWPL volume:

• Use the template to prepare your manuscript for publication.
• Don’t forget to edit the headers, which are different for left and right facing pages: one header contains the authors’ last names, the other the running title (a shortened version of the paper’s title; see template).
• Be sure to proofread carefully for spelling, grammar and punctuation.
• Make sure that the references are complete and correct.
• Your editors may impose specific requirements over and above those of MITWPL style. For example, they may make specific choices about nomenclature for the subdiscipline you are working in. Or they may prefer that you use the Microsoft Word template, not LaTeX. Contact your editors if you have any doubts on such matters. In general, they should be your first point of contact.

People contributing to a volume receive a free copy of their printed article, and a 50% discount on orders of the volume . If you have further questions or if you want to order copies of the volume, please contact us. --> You must also sign and forward to your editor the MITWPL publishing agreement , which we must receive in order to publish your paper.

Guidelines for Editors

The editors of each MITWPL volume are responsible for assembling and submitting a complete and camera-ready digital manuscript in the form of a PDF document. The raw materials for the finished manuscript are provided by contributors (individual articles) and the editors (the table of contents). Cover art and other ancillary material will be added by MITWPL. You will almost certainly need to edit the files submitted by your contributors, to make necessary corrections and to create continuous pagination from one paper to the next. Therefore, it is a good idea to tell your contributors which document formats you can accept: LaTeX, Microsoft Word, or both. (We encourage the use of LaTeX over Microsoft Word whenever possible.) General guidelines for contributors were given above. You should direct contributors to this page’s URL ( http://mitwpl.mit.edu/publish/ ), asking them to use the template and guidelines given here. Feel free to supplement (but not supplant) these guidelines with your own volume-specific guidelines. If you would like to post those here, please contact us . Here are some tips for editing individual contributions:

• Use the template to check the formatting of the paper. Also compare with the guidelines for contributors .
• Proofread the paper carefully for spelling, grammar and punctuation.
• It is a fact that contributors will not always follow guidelines completely. Some contributors may also be unable to use the templates provided, or have other issues related to file format. It is your responsibility to make sure that the entire manuscript is properly formatted and proofread to an acceptable standard. Keep in mind that this is a published collection receiving wide circulation among your colleagues. It is true that we are a working papers series, and we do not employ professional copy editors or typesetters, but a little bit of work will go a long way toward making the publication look professional. This will reflect well on contributors, editors and publisher alike.
• We strongly advise editors to run by their contributors the final copy of their article to make sure that nothing has been lost during editing and reformatting.

Here are some guidelines for assembling the complete volume:

• Ensure that the formatting is consistent and uniform from one paper to the next and observes MITWPL’s guidelines.
• Pagination should be continuous throughout the manuscript, excluding the table of contents. The simplest way of accomplishing continuous pagination would be to concatenate all the papers together as a single document, but this is typically not practical. Instead, set the starting page number for each paper according to the number of pages occupied by the previous papers. For example, if the first paper is 16 pages long and the second paper is 14 pages long, then set the second paper’s starting page number to 17 and the third paper’s starting page number to 31. In Microsoft Word, starting page number can be changed by clicking Insert > Page Numbers > Format. (After changing the page numbering and leaving the Format dialog, click Close instead of OK to avoid actually inserting a new page number.) In LaTeX, edit the line \setcounter{page}{1} in the preamble of the document.
• Each paper should begin on an odd page number, so that its first page will be the right-hand facing page (the recto) when the book is open. In order for all papers to start on the recto, they must each occupy an even number of pages. For papers whose actual page length is odd, insert a blank page between it and the next paper. (Although this page is completely blank, it has a number.)
• Table of contents in LaTeX
• Table of contents in Microsoft Word
• MITWPL reserves the right to choose and format a design for the cover of your volume. Please contact us if you have questions.

Once the volume is completely ready for publication, submit it to MITWPL:

• The digital manuscript should be submitted by email in PDF.
• Each paper should be a separate PDF document, and the file names should be such that the order is transparent. For example, 0TableOfContents.pdf , 1SmithPaper.pdf , 2JonesPaper.pdf , ...
• Please include with the digital manuscript publishing agreements signed by all contributors.
• Send all materials together marked “ c/o (volume name) publication manuscript ”.

Department of Linguistics and Philosophy

Dissertations.

MITWPL: MIT Working Papers in Linguistics

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Founded in 1979, MIT Working Papers in Linguistics is an entirely student-managed organization, run by the graduate students in the MIT Doctoral Program in Linguistics. MITWPL is dedicated to promoting student linguistic research by publishing dissertations and papers and, with the proceeds, equitably funding travel, fieldwork and equipment purchases. MITWPL publishes working papers and dissertations for MIT Linguistics and Philosophy , University of Connecticut Linguistics and the University of Rochester Center for Language Sciences . If your department would like to outsource its working paper publications to MITWPL, please contact the management at [email protected] . To browse our extensive list of in-print publications, select CATALOG . If you are an editor of or contributor to an upcoming MITWPL volume, select PUBLISHING . To reach us by e-mail, click CONTACT .

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Mitwpl publications 2008, mitwpl publications 2007, mitwpl publications 2006, editors and contributors.

How to find resources by format

Why use a dissertation or a thesis.

A dissertation is the final large research paper, based on original research, for many disciplines to be able to complete a PhD degree. The thesis is the same idea but for a masters degree.

They are often considered scholarly sources since they are closely supervised by a committee, are directed at an academic audience, are extensively researched, follow research methodology, and are cited in other scholarly work. Often the research is newer or answering questions that are more recent, and can help push scholarship in new directions. 

Search for dissertations and theses

Locating dissertations and theses.

The Proquest Dissertations and Theses Global database includes doctoral dissertations and selected masters theses from major universities worldwide.

• Searchable by subject, author, advisor, title, school, date, etc.
• More information about full text access and requesting through Interlibrary Loan

NDLTD – Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations provides free online access to a over a million theses and dissertations from all over the world.

WorldCat Dissertations and Theses searches library catalogs from across the U.S. and worldwide.

Locating University of Minnesota Dissertations and Theses

Use  Libraries search  and search by title or author and add the word "thesis" in the search box. Write down the library and call number and find it on the shelf. They can be checked out.

Check the  University Digital Conservancy  for online access to dissertations and theses from 2007 to present as well as historic, scanned theses from 1887-1923.

Other Sources for Dissertations and Theses

• Center for Research Libraries
• DART-Europe E-Thesis Portal
• Theses Canada
• Ethos (Great Britain)
• Australasian Digital Theses in Trove
• DiVA (Sweden)
• E-Thesis at the University of Helsinki
• DissOnline (Germany)
• List of libraries worldwide - to search for a thesis when you know the institution and cannot find in the larger collections

University of Minnesota Dissertations and Theses FAQs

What dissertations and theses are available.

With minor exceptions, all doctoral dissertations and all "Plan A" master's theses accepted by the University of Minnesota are available in the University Libraries system. In some cases (see below) only a non-circulating copy in University Archives exists, but for doctoral dissertations from 1940 to date, and for master's theses from 1925 to date, a circulating copy should almost always be available.

"Plan B" papers, accepted in the place of a thesis in many master's degree programs, are not received by the University Libraries and are generally not available. (The only real exceptions are a number of old library school Plan B papers on publishing history, which have been separately cataloged.) In a few cases individual departments may have maintained files of such papers.

In what libraries are U of M dissertations and theses located?

Circulating copies of doctoral dissertations:.

• Use Libraries Search to look for the author or title of the work desired to determine location and call number of a specific dissertation. Circulating copies of U of M doctoral dissertations can be in one of several locations in the library system, depending upon the date and the department for which the dissertation was done. The following are the general rules:
• Dissertations prior to 1940 Circulating copies of U of M dissertations prior to 1940 do not exist (with rare exceptions): for these, only the archival copy (see below) is available. Also, most dissertations prior to 1940 are not cataloged in MNCAT and can only be identified by the departmental listings described below.  
• Dissertations from 1940-1979 Circulating copies of U of M dissertations from 1940 to 1979 will in most cases be held within the Elmer L. Andersen Library, with three major classes of exceptions: dissertations accepted by biological, medical, and related departments are housed in the Health Science Library; science/engineering dissertations from 1970 to date will be located in the Science and Engineering Library (in Walter); and dissertations accepted by agricultural and related departments are available at the Magrath Library or one of the other libraries on the St. Paul campus (the Magrath Library maintains records of locations for such dissertations).  
• Dissertations from 1980-date Circulating copies of U of M dissertations from 1980 to date at present may be located either in Wilson Library (see below) or in storage; consult Libraries Search for location of specific items. Again, exceptions noted above apply here also; dissertations in their respective departments will instead be in Health Science Library or in one of the St. Paul campus libraries.

Circulating copies of master's theses:

• Theses prior to 1925 Circulating copies of U of M master's theses prior to 1925 do not exist (with rare exceptions); for these, only the archival copy (see below) is available.  
• Theses from 1925-1996 Circulating copies of U of M master's theses from 1925 to 1996 may be held in storage; consult Libraries search in specific instances. Once again, there are exceptions and theses in their respective departments will be housed in the Health Science Library or in one of the St. Paul campus libraries.  
• Theses from 1997-date Circulating copies of U of M master's theses from 1997 to date will be located in Wilson Library (see below), except for the same exceptions for Health Science  and St. Paul theses. There is also an exception to the exception: MHA (Masters in Health Administration) theses through 1998 are in the Health Science Library, but those from 1999 on are in Wilson Library.

Archival copies (non-circulating)

Archival (non-circulating) copies of virtually all U of M doctoral dissertations from 1888-1952, and of U of M master's theses from all years up to the present, are maintained by University Archives (located in the Elmer L. Andersen Library). These copies must be consulted on the premises, and it is highly recommended for the present that users make an appointment in advance to ensure that the desired works can be retrieved for them from storage. For dissertations accepted prior to 1940 and for master's theses accepted prior to 1925, University Archives is generally the only option (e.g., there usually will be no circulating copy). Archival copies of U of M doctoral dissertations from 1953 to the present are maintained by Bell and Howell Corporation (formerly University Microfilms Inc.), which produces print or filmed copies from our originals upon request. (There are a very few post-1952 U of M dissertations not available from Bell and Howell; these include such things as music manuscripts and works with color illustrations or extremely large pages that will not photocopy well; in these few cases, our archival copy is retained in University Archives.)

Where is a specific dissertation of thesis located?

To locate a specific dissertation or thesis it is necessary to have its call number. Use Libraries Search for the author or title of the item, just as you would for any other book. Depending on date of acceptance and cataloging, a typical call number for such materials should look something like one of the following:

Dissertations: Plan"A" Theses MnU-D or 378.7M66 MnU-M or 378.7M66 78-342 ODR7617 83-67 OL6156 Libraries Search will also tell the library location (MLAC, Health Science Library, Magrath or another St. Paul campus library, Science and Engineering, Business Reference, Wilson Annex or Wilson Library). Those doctoral dissertations still in Wilson Library (which in all cases should be 1980 or later and will have "MnU-D" numbers) are located in the central section of the third floor. Those master's theses in Wilson (which in all cases will be 1997 or later and will have "MnU-M" numbers) are also located in the central section of the third floor. Both dissertations and theses circulate and can be checked out, like any other books, at the Wilson Circulation desk on the first floor.

How can dissertations and theses accepted by a specific department be located?

Wilson Library contains a series of bound and loose-leaf notebooks, arranged by department and within each department by date, listing dissertations and theses. Information given for each entry includes name of author, title, and date (but not call number, which must be looked up individually). These notebooks are no longer current, but they do cover listings by department from the nineteenth century up to approximately 1992. Many pre-1940 U of M dissertations and pre-1925 U of M master's theses are not cataloged (and exist only as archival copies). Such dissertations can be identified only with these volumes. The books and notebooks are shelved in the general collection under these call numbers: Wilson Ref LD3337 .A5 and Wilson Ref quarto LD3337 .U9x. Major departments of individual degree candidates are also listed under their names in the GRADUATE SCHOOL COMMENCEMENT programs of the U of M, available in University Archives and (for recent years) also in Wilson stacks (LD3361 .U55x).

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