Submissions

Article Types

Submissions to LDD are always peer reviewed.

Research Articles

Submissions for General Research articles should be no longer than 10,000 words including references. When preparing their submissions, authors should keep in mind that LDD is read by scholars who work across diverse world regions and theoretical orientations. Regardless of the topic a manuscript addresses, the work’s relevance should be made clear to a broad audience interested in documentary and descriptive linguistics.

Language Contexts

Submissions for LDD’s Language Contexts article series should be 5,000-7,000 words including references. We strongly encourage the inclusion of images, maps, and other illustrative material, as well as links to online resources and materials in archives. Coverage of the following topics is suggested, but authors are encouraged to discuss any other topics they deem relevant to the context of language use.

Language Identification

  • name (autonym, exonym, allonyms)
  • Dialects and varieties
  • ISO 639-3 code and Glottolog code (and/or issues with these classifications)
  • Genetic classification (need not be defined, just discussed)
  • Population (number of speakers as L1 and L2 and/or numbers of members of the ethnic group, if different)
  • Geographical distribution - please provide maps and/or links to online maps

Vitality

  • Vitality status
  • Multilingual repertoire of speakers
  • Official status in polities where spoken
  • Use in education
  • Transmission to children, generational knowledge and use
  • Domains of use, including online and mobile use
  • If assessments are available on a scale like UNESCO’s vitality index or EGIDs, mention it here

History

  • Language social status
  • Historical contact
  • Migration
  • Archaeology

Linguistic neighborhood

  • Other languages in the region, related and unrelated
  • Language contact
  • Multilingualism
  • Contact languages and lingua francae
  • Diglossia

Linguistic culture

  • Genres and registers of language use
  • Music, song, poetry
  • Literacy
  • Writing system, types and use
  • Literature, published or unpublished
  • Special lects
  • Naming practices
  • Print, radio, television use
  • Digital domain use, including social media

Social organization

How the social organization of the community influences language maintenance: for example, if women marry in from another language group, or if grandparents play the role of primary caregiver.

Material culture

Features of material culture that bear on language use, language maintenance or shift, or cultural identity: for example, if the arrangement of labor or the domestic space somehow benefits or is problematic for intergenerational language transfer.

Existing literature

This section should go beyond a simple list, to describe the range of available materials, its quality and usage, highlighting key gaps. Authors are encouraged to check the relevant Glottolog entries and ensure their reference list is comprehensive and up to date.

Language Snapshots

NOTE: LDD IS NO LONGER ACCEPTING INDIVIDUAL LANGUAGE SNAPSHOT SUBMISSIONS. THE JOURNAL WILL CONTINUE TO CONSIDER PROPOSALS FOR COLLECTIONS OF SNAPSHOTS ON SETS OF LANGUAGES THAT ARE RELATED IN SOME INTERESTING WAY (GENEALOGICALLY, AREALLY, TYPOLOGICALLY, ETC.) PLEASE CONTACT THE EDITOR TO DISCUSS POSSIBILITIES.

Submissions for LDD’s Language Snapshot article series should be approximately 1,500 words including references. We welcome the inclusion of maps and links to suitable online resources and archives, as well as links to audio and video. We suggest Language Snapshot articles include the following types of information:

Language identification

  • Language names (autonym, exonym, alternative names)
  • Dialects and varieties
  • ISO 639-3 codes and Glottolog codes (and/or notes about the use of these codes)
  • Brief discussion of genetic classification(s)
  • Population (number of speakers as L1 and L2 and/or numbers of members of the ethnic group)
  • Geographical distribution, such as a map and/or links to online maps

Vitality

  • The language’s vitality status, as described by factors such as the multilingual repertoire of speakers, the language’s social position and attitudes towards it, domains of use, use in education and media, generational knowledge, official status in the geographic entities where spoken, writing system and literacy (if any), online and mobile use.

Linguistic neighborhood

  • Other languages in the area, language contact, lingua francas, diglossia.

Existing literature

  • Available materials on the languages, and significant gaps. Notes on others’ research or activities.

Media

  • Audio or video resources (or links to them) that add to the overview of the language and its community.

Linguistic features

  • Linguistic features of interest.

Current research

  • The contributor’s current research or projects on the language situation and the planned outcomes of this work.

Review Articles

Submissions for review articles should be no longer than 10,000 words including references. Review articles should only be submitted after prior consultation with the editor.

Submission checklist

  1. The submission has not been previously published, in part or in whole, nor is it before another journal for consideration.
  2. All authors qualify as authors and have given their permission to be listed on the submitted paper.
  3. Authors commit to obtaining all necessary permissions to use third-party material upon acceptance of their manuscript for publication.
  4. Authors commit to adhering to the stylistic and bibliographic requirements outlined in the Author Guidelines upon the manuscript’s acceptance for publication.
  5. All tables are cited in the main text and are included within the main text document.
  6. All figures are cited in the main text and are uploaded as supplementary files. Figures and images have a resolution of at least 150dpi (300dpi or above preferred). The files are in one of the following formats: JPG, TIFF, GIF, PNG, EPS (to maximise quality, the original source file is preferred).
  7. Authors have obtained all necessary ethics approvals to conduct and publish the research reported in their submission.
  8. The authors have declared any conflicts of interest or confirmed that they have no conflicts of interest.
  9. ORCID identifiers are provided for authors, if practicable.
  10. Every effort has been made to ensure that the submission has been blinded for peer review, or else the author has specifically arranged for single-blind review in consultation with the editor.

Copyright Notice

  1. Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms. If a submission is rejected or withdrawn prior to publication, all rights return to the author(s):

    1. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
    2. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
    3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).

Submitting to the journal implicitly confirms that all named authors and rights holders have agreed to the above terms of publication. It is the submitting author's responsibility to ensure all authors and relevant institutional bodies have given their agreement at the point of submission.

Note: some institutions require authors to seek written approval in relation to the terms of publication. Should this be required, authors can request a separate licence agreement document from the editorial team (e.g. authors who are Crown employees).

Publication Fees

Language Documentation and Description does not charge Publication Fees.

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