Explorations in Linguistic Review
Exploring the Frontiers,
Serving the Scholarly Community
Full Title: Explorations in Linguistic Review (ELR)
URL: https://elr-linguistics.org/
Submission Deadline (Inaugural Compilation): February 28, 2027 (Rolling continuous publication)
Call for Papers: Main Inaugural Issue, Concurrent Special Issues, and the ELR Theoretical Forum
Explorations in Linguistic Review (ELR) is pleased to announce its Call for Papers for its inaugural volume, featuring our Main Thematic Track, three Concurrent Special Issues, and the curated ELR Theoretical Forum.
About the Journal:
Explorations in Linguistic Review (ELR) is an independent, scholar-led, fully Diamond Open Access journal dedicated to research in generative, theoretical, and comparative linguistics (https://elr-linguistics.org/).
ELR operates on a thematic-issue architecture: each volume of the main journal focuses on a dedicated core subfield of linguistics—systematically rotating across syntax, semantics, phonology, morphology, and pragmatics. In parallel, ELR hosts specialized thematic volumes and rapid-exchange theoretical features. All tracks adopt a continuous rolling publication workflow (Diamond OA / no APCs): accepted contributions are typeset and published online immediately upon completing peer review.
1. MAIN INAUGURAL THEME:“ Voice and Argument Structure”
Language: English
Submission Deadline (Inaugural Compilation): February 28, 2027 (Rolling continuous publication)Our maiden issue investigates the formal architecture of voice, valency, and argument projection across generative frameworks (DM, Nanosyntax, Cartography, Minimalist syntax).
Topics of interest include:
- Voice heads, passives, middles, causatives, applicatives, and reflexives/reciprocals;
- The syntax-lexicon/root interface, event structure, and thematic relations;
- Non-active morphology, deponency, unaccusativity, and transitivity alternations;
- Comparative, formal, and diachronic syntax of argument realization.
2. FEATURED FORMAT: The ELR Theoretical Forum (理论大家谈)
Language: English
Short ideas. Serious theory. Shared exploration.
The Theoretical Forum is an innovative ELR publication format designed for concise theoretical contributions (500–1,000 words) that present an original observation, an emerging analysis, a forward-looking proposal, or a pressing theoretical problem.
- Shared Thematic Focus: The inaugural Forum centers on the same theme as the main issue—“Voice and Argument Structure”.
- Curated Scholarly Feature: Several contributions addressing the shared thematic question will be curated and brought together into a single formally published, citable Forum feature.
- Individual Attribution & Citation: Each contribution remains clearly and individually attributed to its author. The compilation provides each contributor with a formal scholarly record and individualized citation.
- Rigorous Editorial Vetting: Contributions undergo formal editorial selection and peer vetting to preserve and circulate meaningful theoretical ideas that might otherwise remain confined to workshops, correspondence, or informal discussion.
3. CONCURRENT SPECIAL ISSUES (NOW ACCEPTING SUBMISSIONS)
Submissions are simultaneously invited for three concurrent thematic tracks:
- Special Issue 1: “The History of Chinese and Linguistic Theory” (漢語史與語言學理論)
Languages: English or Traditional Chinese (繁體中文)
Focus: Bridging historical Chinese phonology, syntax, morphology, and philological texts with modern formal grammatical frameworks and linguistic theories.
- Special Issue 2: “A Review of Cutting-Edge Theories in Linguistics”
Language: English
Focus: State-of-the-art critical surveys, architectural debates, and comparative assessments of emerging formal frameworks and methodological advances.
- Special Issue 3: “Contemporary Phonetics and Phonology”
Language: English
Focus: Theoretical phonology, feature theory, substance-free phonology, prosodic hierarchy, and the phonetics-phonology / phonology-morphosyntax interfaces.
Submission Categories & Information for Authors:
- Diamond Open Access: No APCs or submission fees. Published under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license.
- Submission Categories:
1. Regular Articles (typically 8,000–12,000 words / Chinese characters)
2. Squibs / Short Theoretical Notes (up to 5,000 words / characters)
3. Theoretical Forum Contributions (500–1,000 words, in English, focusing on Voice & Argument Structure)
- Peer Review: Rigorous double-blind peer review for research articles; curated peer review for Forum contributions.
- Languages: English for all tracks; Traditional Chinese (繁體中文) is also welcomed exclusively for Special Issue 1 (“The History of Chinese and Linguistic Theory”).
Submission Guidelines:
Manuscripts must be prepared for anonymous review (with all author-identifying metadata removed). Authors should indicate their intended track (Main Issue, Specific Special Issue, or Theoretical Forum) during submission.
Submit online via:
https://elr-linguistics.org/submissions/
For editorial inquiries, topic proposals, or Theoretical Forum queries, contact:
Editorial Leadership:
- Ryan Kangjie Chang (Co-Editor-in-Chief & Executive Director, Executive Centre，ZMIT)
- Adam Chih-Jen Cheng (Co-Editor-in-Chief, University of Ottawa)