Hallo, Hi there, Hei and Merhaba – Students from all over the world came to StuTS at the University of Stuttgart last week. StuTS is the "Student Conference on Linguistics" and takes place once each semester at different universities in Germany. Approximately 150 students attended the 78th conference in Stuttgart, coming from across Germany as well as from the USA, the Czech Republic, and Zimbabwe.
Organized from students by students
StuTS is a five-day conference organized by student teams that brings together students from all fields of linguistics. “StuTS returned to its home turf in Stuttgart this year, and we organized it at the university for the second time,“ says Timo Völker, a linguistics student in his third semester.
The goal of StuTS is to give students the opportunity to meet and engage in exchange. Students at any stage of their studies are welcome to participate. During lectures and poster sessions, students showcased their Bachelor’s and Master’s thesis topics, and seminar projects were also enthusiastically discussed. “The conference showcased around 50 presentations, ranging from applied and historical linguistics to psycholinguistics,“ says Laura-Mercedes Ortmann, who is also part of the Stuttgart organizing team. “Almost every field was represented, so there was a lot to learn.“
Stuttgart linguistics showcases what makes it unique
“Our students put together a fantastic program for StuTS and demonstrated perseverance and great commitment during the preparations,“ says Professor Daniel Hole from the Institute of Linguistics at the University of Stuttgart. “For the participating students, StuTS is a great opportunity to present their work and showcase what they have accomplished. Believe it or not, we lecturers had almost nothing to do with the organization. It was entirely managed by the students and primarily supervised by Mete Saltik.“
Experts from academia and teaching also offered exciting insights into their research projects: From the syntax of German sign language and ancient spells to argumentation and extraordinary languages such as Paraguayan Guaraní. “The keynote speeches gave excellent insight into the research being conducted here in Stuttgart,“ says Timo Völker.
Strengthening community and fostering networks
During five intensive days of networking and academic discussions, there was also plenty of time for personal exchange. Laura-Mercedes Ortmann and Timo Völker, together with their fellow students, organized a diverse leisure program: During a shared breakfast, a game night with board games, Mario Kart, and Mario Party, as well as a pub crawl through Stuttgart, the students got to know each other even better. Some participants even made use of couchsurfing and stayed with hosts in Stuttgart.
“StuTS is always a wonderful chance to showcase and represent your home institution,“ says Timo Völker. Laura-Mercedes Ortmann adds: “Although we are a small study program, events like this show that a shared passion for language brings us together.“
Jacqueline Gehrke
Online Editor