OUR ORGANIZATION
The Linguistic Association of the Southwest (LASSO) is a linguistics association in the United States whose purpose is the advancement of the scientific study of language. While many of our members study the languages of the southwestern United States, LASSO has an international focus; it draws its membership and includes linguistic scholarship from any language and any region in the world.
Check out the latest newsletter:
ANNUAL MEETING
LASSO holds an Annual Meeting for its members. The meeting includes research presentations, workshops, and opportunities for members to connect and share their knowledge.
JOURNAL
LASSO publishes the International Journal of the Linguistic Association of the Southwest with articles from its members. Visit the Journal page to learn more about it.
CONSTITUTION
LASSO is guided by its constitution, which is regularly reviewed and amended, as needed, with the approval from all of the association’s membership.
MEMBERSHIP
Would you like to become a member? There are two categories: regular and student. Memberships last a calendar year so, do not forget to renew your membership.
Our officers
LASSO counts with an extraordinary group of scholars who take the necessary measures to ensure that the organization’s goals can be fully realized.
Sheryl Bernardo-Hinesley
Western Washington Univeristy
President
R. Mata
Western Washington Univeristy
vice-president
Rachel Showstack
Wichita State University
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Israel Sanz-Sánchez
West Chester University
TREASURER
“I’ve been attending the LASSO conference for the past two years, and both times it’s been an incredible experience. It’s always inspiring to connect with scholars from across the country and share ideas with such a passionate community.”
Nicholás Chávez
PhD Candidate at The University of New Mexico
“I attended LASSO 2023 in Denver, Colorado where I presented my paper titled “British Latino: Investigating the semiotic construction of a mediatized persona”. I was particularly struck by how collegial and welcoming the conference was with attendees providing really helpful feedback on my presentation and paper and also being very receptive to feedback and ideas throughout the whole conference. As a result, I decided to submit my manuscript for the Helmut Esau prize competition and following later revisions to the manuscript, I also submitted the study to the International Journal of the Linguistic Association of the Southwest were it was accepted for publication (under a slightly modified title – British Latino: Investigating discourse-stylistic variables and the construction of persona within podcasting). I haven’t had a chance to attend LASSO for a couple of years; however, I am planning on attending the conference in October 2026 at Towson University.”
Jonathan Pye
PhD Candidate at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
“Being a part of LASSO has allowed me to share my work with fellow LASSO members, who offer beneficial feedback and insights that helped me improve my research. Meeting everyone at conferences, whether in person or online, is always an exciting opportunity not only to discuss academic matters but to connect with other scholars and enhance the feeling of belonging to a welcoming community.”
Irina Lifszyc
PhD candidate at UMass Amherst
“Being part of the Linguistic Association of the Southwest has given me the opportunity to connect with amazing academics and graduate students. The constant academic support that LASSO provides to graduate students has helped my growth as an academic. Participating in the congress is an enriching experience that I look for to every year.”
Claudia Matachana
PhD candidate at UMass Amherst