Linguistics Meets ChatGPT: From Prompt to Theory

 

Workshop Series 2026

 

 

Format

Hybrid (onsite in Vienna, Austria, and online)

 

Website

https://gaussaiglobal.com/LingTransformer 

The announcement is also available at: https://www.manova-ai.com/workshops 

(Gauss:AI Global is a subsidiary of MANOVA AI.)

 

Frequency

Regular series (8 thematic workshops, cumulative structure, 4 blocks of 2 workshops each, and a final conference)

 

Target group

Linguists, language researchers, and educators interested in understanding and using Large Language Models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT for linguistic inquiry.

 

Organizer

Dr. Stela Manova, CEO & Research Lead MANOVA AI / PI Gauss:AI Global, ChatGPT papers here.

 

Overview

The series Linguistics Meets ChatGPT explores how contemporary Large Language Models (LLMs) transform the possibilities and boundaries of linguistic research.

    By engaging with ChatGPT both as a research tool and a research object, the series promotes a new kind of linguistic literacy — one that bridges formal linguistic theory, empirical data handling, and AI-based modeling. The knowledge gained during the workshops can be applied in linguistics and across disciplines in academia and outside it, providing job-relevant skills for linguists and researchers facing limited academic opportunities.

 

 📢  Save the Dates!

 

Block 1: Mar 23–24, 2026

    WS 1. What Type of Research Can a Linguist Do with ChatGPT?
Linguistic units (phoneme, morpheme, etc.) vs. computational units (bit, byte, token, etc.); what happens to linguistic categories in a subword-based system such as ChatGPT, which operates without words; can subword-based systems serve as a linguistic corpus and assist corpus annotation?

    WS 2. Grammar Without Grammar: How ChatGPT Handles Syntax and Morphology
Are grammatical regularities emergent or encoded? Where does the grammatical knowledge of ChatGPT come from? When and how do words enter the model?

 

Block 2: Apr 27–28, 2026

    WS 3. Prompting as Experimental Method in Linguistics
How can prompts function as elicitation tools and operationalized hypotheses? Can prompting manipulate the results of linguistic research? Do linguists need a prompt documentation database?

    WS 4. Meaning, Semantics, and Hallucination
How does ChatGPT handle meaning, if there is no explicit encoding of meaning and no embodied cognition? Why can it compare the meaning of sentences? What do AI “hallucinations” reveal about semantic competence, truth conditions, and inference?

 

Block 3: May 21–22, 2026

    WS 5. Cross-Linguistic Prompting and Multilingual Modeling
Prompt translation versus language-particular prompting? How does ChatGPT represent languages if there are no typological parameters?

    WS 6. Sociolinguistics and Style in the Machine
Can ChatGPT model register, politeness, or identity? Should we be polite with ChatGPT: Do the outcomes of polite and impolite prompting differ?

 

Block 4: Jun 22–23, 2026

    WS 7. Experimental Design and Data Collection with ChatGPT
How to integrate LLMs responsibly into linguistic research workflows. Documentation and citation of prompts and LLMs’ assistance.

    WS 8. Toward a Theory of AI Language
What does ChatGPT teach us about the nature of “language” itself? Do we need a theory of AI language?

 

Conference: Oct 22–23, 2026, Linguistics Meets ChatGPT: From Prompt to Theory
Participants (and invited speakers) present papers inspired by the workshop series, demonstrating how the discussions and experiments have influenced their research.

 

Structure

Each workshop follows the same three-part design:

    1️⃣ Introductory Lecture (conceptual and theoretical framing by the organizer ≈ 50 min + 10 min Q/A)

    2️⃣ Hands-on Session (guided experiments and data interpretation ≈ 45 min + 15 min break)

    3️⃣ Participant 5-minute Talks (after abstract selection) & Discussion (≈ 60 min)

 

Additional discussions and consultations with the lecturer will be offered — in person for onsite participants and online (via Discourse) for both onsite and online participants.

 

A relevant lexicon (list of mathematical and computer science terminology with accessible explanations) will be made available before every workshop.

 

Requirements

A computer (a tablet is less appropriate, a phone is insufficient).

You do NOT need a paid ChatGPT subscription for workshop participation.

 

Aims and Learning Outcomes

Participants will:

  • Understand how LLMs like ChatGPT structure, generate, and manipulate linguistic data.
  • Learn to design reproducible linguistic experiments using AI-based and prompt-based methods.
  • Critically evaluate the limits of LLM-based data for linguistic analysis.
  • Develop interdisciplinary literacy connecting linguistics, AI, and data science — skills applicable beyond linguistics.

 

Upcoming Workshops (Block 1)

  • WS1: What Type of Research Can a Linguist Do with ChatGPT?

  • WS2: Grammar Without Grammar: How ChatGPT Handles Syntax and Morphology

 

Details, including registration fees, will be announced soon.

 

Support the Series

If you think that linguistics needs events like this, please consider a donation.


You can donate via Stripe or by bank transfer (IBAN). For clarification of conditions (anonymous, named + inclusion in our list of supporters), contact: office@manova-ai.com. PayPal donations are possible on request.
 

Universities and research institutions may also book the series in full or as individual workshops — please use the same contact email.