Migration Linguistics

05/06/2026

The Philippines is the ninth-largest country of origin of international migrants in the world, and research on Filipino migrants has consequently flourished across various disciplines. Yet studies on internal migration within the Philippines remain relatively limited.

This special issue, ‘Migration Linguistics in the Philippines’, turns attention to the language experiences of internal migrants and the linguistic dimensions of mobility within the country. The collection brings together papers written by doctoral students of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines, developed through what was the country’s first course in migration linguistics.

We are deeply grateful to the Philippine Journal of Linguistics and the Linguistic Society of the Philippines for their continued support of migration linguistics and for helping advance this growing field of scholarship.

10/05/2026

3rd International Conference on Migration Linguistics

November 14, 2026 Singapore
November 16-17, 2026 Johor Bahru, Malaysia

On-site and Online

Abstract submission is now OPEN.
Please scan the QR code.
Deadline is July 31, 2026.

01/05/2026

18/02/2026

[Public Lecture]

Ariane Macalinga Borlongan (Tokyo University of Foreign Studies) is delivering a public lecture titled 'Linguistic Vulnerability and Resilience of Migrants during Crises and Emergencies' at the Department of European Languages, University of the Philippines Diliman this coming March 2, 2026. For more details, please refer to the original post. This is an in-person event.

02/02/2026

3rd International Conference on Migration Linguistics

November 15, 2026 in Singapore
November 16-17, 2026 in Johor Bahru, Malaysia

Conference Theme:
Migrants at the Margins: Roots, Routes, Belonging, and Language

Abstract submission will open soon!

12/01/2026

Migration is now taught as an elective at the University of the Philippines Diliman.

Thinking about what EL electives you can study in the second semester of 2025-2026? Read on:

EL 197: Migration Linguistics
Prof. Kristine Cabling
M 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM, Room TBA
(The course will be taught in English and Filipino, with particular focus on the Filipino diaspora in FIGS-speaking countries. Prerequisite: French/Italian/German/Spanish 100)

COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course serves as an introduction to Migration Linguistics, a burgeoning sub-discipline of Linguistics. It explores the many aspects of language within the context of human mobility and the reciprocal ways in which migration and language affect each other.

21/12/2025

The Journal of Modern Languages has just published the first part of the thematic double issue titled ‘Linguistic Diversity and Human Mobility: Explorations in Migration Linguistics’, edited by Kenichiro Kurusu, Ariel Robert Ponce, Nicanor L. Guinto, Mikhail Alic C. Go, and Ariane Macalinga Borlongan. Articles include:

Editorial
Linguistic Diversity and Human Mobility
Kenichiro Kurusu, Ariel Robert Ponce, Nicanor L. Guinto, Mikhail Alic C. Go, & Ariane Macalinga Borlongan

Community Migration as an Additional Branch of Migration Linguistics
James McLellan

Language Ideologies of Migrant Workers in Norway
Kellie Goncalves & Kristin Lexander

Multilingual Repertoire as Nexus of Transnational Journeys: The Case of a Hong Kong-Based Migrant Domestic Worker
Nicanor L. Guinto

Prospective Transnational Migrant Workers’ Language Practices during Internal Migration
Maharlika Subida & Ariel Robert C. Ponce

Plight Itinerary: Aeromobility and the Cultural Politics of Precarious Language in Labour Migration
Juan Miguel Leandro L. Quizon

Education Pathways to Migration in English-Using Countries
Kim Tiu Selorio

Preservation of Heritage or Integration for Survival: A Case of Chinese Mother in Japan
Hiroki Saito

Language, Migration, and ChatGPT
Ariane Macalinga Borlongan, Jasper Kyle Catapang, & Mikhail Alic C. Go

The thematic issue is open-access and can be be downloaded here:

https://ejournal.um.edu.my/index.php/JML/index

Special thanks to the Editor-in-Chief Stefanie Shamila Pillai for the invitation and guidance throughout the process.

16/12/2025

Last December 4 to 5, the 2nd International Conference on Migration Linguistics was organized by the University of Santo Tomas together with the De La Salle University, Southern Luzon State University, and the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies in collaboration with the Linguistic Society of the Philippines and the International Association of Applied Linguistics.

With the theme ‘Migration Linguistics and Global South Perspectives’, the conference featured as plenary speakers Hans Ladegaard (keynote, Hong Kong Polytechnic University/Education University of Hong Kong), Ron Bridget Vilog (De La Salle University), Stefanie Shamilla Pillai (Universiti Malaya), and Anitha Devi Pillai (National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University. A dialogue with government agency was made possible through the presence of Dante Francis Ang II, Chairperson of the Commission on Filipinos Overseas.

Four featured panels were organized: (1) Longing in the discourse and narratives of migrants by Anne Schluter (Hong Kong Polytechnic University), (2) language and internal migration in the Philippines by Ariel Robert Ponce (Polytechnic University of the Philippines), (3) strengthening skills and mobility pathways for Global South educational migrants by Kim Tiu Selorio (San Sebastian College), and (4) Japanese language education and support for Filipinos to/in Japan by Kenichiro Kurusu (University of the Philippines Diliman). Jasper Kyle Catapang (Tokyo University of Foreign Studies also conducted a workshop on artificial intelligence and the (in)visibility of migrant voices and languages.

The conference also offered a moment of silence in honor of the foreign domestic workers who tragically lost their lives in the devastating fire in Hong Kong last month.

03/12/2025

📣 ICML2 starts tomorrow! 🌟

We are ready to welcome you all to the 2nd International Conference on Migration Linguistics (ICML2) at the University of Santo Tomas, Manila, the Philippines!

The conference program can be accessed through the following link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IbOL8S4sR8CaKHaGJTlS6HqfGbCP6foF/view?usp=drive_link

You may also visit https://www.migrationlinguistics.info/international-conference-on-migration-linguistics .4s8hhiuvattwF for more information about navigating Manila.

We are looking forward to seeing you and listening to your presentations!



UST Department of English

Momentum is building for the 2nd International Conference on Migration Linguistics (ICML 2025), scheduled for December 4–5, 2025, at the University of Santo Tomas (UST) in Manila. This year’s conference will bring together scholars, researchers, and educators to explore how migration continues to shape language use and communication.

To further build excitement within the campus community, ICML 2025 tarpaulins have been installed in key UST locations, including P. Noval (in front of BGPOP), Lacson (near UST Hospital), and Dapitan (near the JHS Building). These displays signal the university’s active preparations and the growing anticipation for the upcoming international gathering.

ICML 2025 is hosted by UST through the UST Faculty of Arts and Letters, led by its Department of English, and the UST Graduate School. It is organized in partnership with Southern Luzon State University (SLSU), De La Salle University (DLSU), and the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies (TUFS), in collaboration with the Linguistic Society of the Philippines (LSP) and the Migration Linguistics Research Network (ReN) of the International Association of Applied Linguistics (AILA).

02/12/2025

🏃 Only 2 days before ICML2! 💨

The 2nd International Conference on Migration Linguistics (ICML2), held from December 4-5, 2025, at the University of Santo Tomas, Manila, the Philippines, is just around the corner!

We have just sent the conference program and guidelines to all the participants, including non-presenters. The conference program can also be accessed through the following link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IbOL8S4sR8CaKHaGJTlS6HqfGbCP6foF/view?usp=drive_link

As you navigate the UST campus, please refer to the map shared in the original post below. The conference will be held at the Thomas Aquinas Research Center.

We thank you for your interest in migration linguistics and our conference. We do hope that the conference will be enriching and productive for all of us. We look forward to welcoming you to Manila.



UST Department of English

As we welcome participants to the 𝟐𝐧𝐝 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐌𝐢𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬 (𝐈𝐂𝐌𝐋 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓), we are pleased to provide the official UST campus map to help attendees navigate the university with ease throughout the two-day event.

The Thomas Aquinas Research Complex (TARC) Auditorium will serve as the main venue for ICML 2025, hosting the plenary sessions, panel discussions, and paper presentations on December 4–5, 2025. To ensure a smooth and timely experience, we encourage participants to review the map ahead of time and familiarize themselves with TARC’s location along Dapitan Street, as well as nearby landmarks such as the Graduate School, the Main Building, and Plaza Mayor.

This year’s conference brings together linguists, educators, researchers, and scholars from across the globe to explore the theme “𝘔𝘪𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘓𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘎𝘭𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘭 𝘚𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴.” Building on this theme, the conference emphasizes the vital role of language not only as a means of communication but also as a tool for power, negotiation, resistance, and identity formation.

ICML 2025 is hosted by UST through the UST Faculty of Arts and Letters, led by its Department of English, and the UST Graduate School. It is organized in partnership with Southern Luzon State University (SLSU), De La Salle University (DLSU), and the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies (TUFS), in collaboration with the Linguistic Society of the Philippines (LSP) and the Migration Linguistics Research Network (ReN) of the International Association of Applied Linguistics (AILA).