Public Lecture

Crowdsourcing Dialect
in the 21st Century

A Lecture by Professor Jennifer Smith, FBA, FRSE

Event Details

Speaker: Professor Jennifer Smith, FBA, FRSE (University of Glasgow)
Date & Time: June 27, 2026 (Saturday), 15:00-17:00
Venue: Lambuth Hall, Tokyo Marunouchi Campus, Kwansei Gakuin University (Sapia Tower, 10F, 1-7-12 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo)
Language: English (no Japanese interpretation)
Admission: Free. Open to students, researchers, and the general public.
Registration: Required to attend. Limited to 50 participants on a first-come, first-served basis; registration will close when capacity is reached or on June 17, whichever comes first. ( register here ).
Full Abstract: Download the lecture abstract here.

Lecture Abstract

Traditional dialectology relied on pen-and-paper methods, but digital crowdsourcing has transformed how language variation is studied. Using the Speak for Yersel project, this lecture shows how large-scale online data can map dialect variation across regions, social groups, and linguistic features, and explores its potential for tracking language change, including in Japan.

Organized by

Host: Ayako Namba (Kwansei Gakuin University)
Co-organizer: Akinobu Tani (Kwansei Gakuin University)

Supported by

This lecture is supported by the Overseas Visiting Professors Program, Kwansei Gakuin University (海外客員教員プログラム).

Speaker Biography

Professor Jennifer Smith is a leading scholar in sociolinguistics and dialectology, internationally recognized for her research on language variation and change across time, space, and social contexts. Her work encompasses global Englishes, multilingualism, and the social factors shaping linguistic behaviour.

A central focus of her research is language acquisition and change, particularly how children move from imitation to innovation within peer groups, offering key insights into mechanisms of language change.

She has led major projects on dialect documentation, including community-based and crowdsourced initiatives, and has developed widely used digital resources such as the Scots Syntax Atlas and Speak for Yersel.

Contact

For inquiries, please contact: aki.tani<at>kwansei.ac.jp (replace <at> with @)