The German linguistic society DEUTSCHE GESELLSCHAFT FÜR SPRACHWISSENSCHAFT (DGfS) was founded in 1978. It is the leading professional association for individual academic linguists and linguistic institutions in Germany. Its scope includes all philologies and all branches of linguistics. The Section Computational Linguistics (Section CL) was founded within DGfS in 1988. Section CL organises expert conferences in the field of Computational Linguistics. The DGfS is a registered society working with an altruistic approach. Financing for our activities is effected only from the membership contributions and participation fees.

The DGfS's main activities and objectives are:

  • Publication of the linguistic journal Zeitschrift für Sprachwissenschaft(Walter de Gruyter Verlag)
  • An annual linguistic conference
  • Organisation and support of linguistic research and education in Germany
  • Advancement of national and international coorperation in the field of linguistics
  • Advancement of students and young scholars through regular summer schools
  • Dialogue between academic linguistics and research funding organisations (in particular, Germany's largest research funding organisation: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft)
  • Bridging the gap between academic linguistics and the public

Who is a member of DGfS?

DGfS has more than 1,100 members within and outside Germany. Most of these work at universities and scientific institutes.

DGfS Annual Conferences

The DGfS holds one 3-day conference each year in late February or early March. Our conference is the largest linguistic expert conference in Germany. With more than 500 participants from Europe and overseas, many of them prominent experts, this event is held in high esteem internationally. The conference is organised into thematic sessions, organised by members of the society. The deadline for submission of proposals for thematic sessions is in mid-April. The deadlines for papers/contributions to the thematic sessions will be during August/September.

Overview: Annual conferences