Buletin Linguistik Gadjah Mada (BULINGGA) was born from a personal concern about the lack of accessible platforms dedicated to linguistic issues. BULINGGA’s editor-in-chief, Idatus Sholihah, stated that language is inseparable from social life, yet discussions on language often remain confined to newspapers or major online media, where strict curation limits who can publish. Responding to this gap, BULINGGA was initiated as an alternative publication space that provides information and fresh insights into linguistic developments while remaining open to diverse voices.

Designed in an engaging and reader-friendly format, BULINGGA features short articles, scholarly opinions, and highlights of linguistic research at both national and international levels. Each edition focuses on a specific theme. The first edition, Bahasa dan Budaya (Language and Culture), presented eight articles from eight contributors. It was followed by Bahasa dan Politik (Language and Politics) with six articles from seven contributors, Indigenous Language and Identity (Bahasa Daerah dan Identitas) with a significant increase to twelve articles from twelve contributors, and Bahasa dan Gender (Language and Gender), which featured eight articles by eight contributors. This progression reflects growing interest and participation in the bulletin.

Published regularly, BULINGGA serves as a space for sharing ideas, research findings, and relevant linguistic issues. Students, lecturers, linguists, language enthusiasts, and the general public are all welcome to contribute. The editorial process, from curation to publication, is dynamic and stimulating, as contributors explore the same issue from unique perspectives. While editorial challenges arise, particularly when submissions lack a clear linguistic focus, contributors remain enthusiastic and committed to future editions.

As a newly initiated platform, BULINGGA thrives on collective effort. With support from Kalingga colleagues handling layout, editing, and online distribution, the bulletin aims to foster a strong culture of literacy, broaden public access to linguistic knowledge, and ensure that linguistic discourse is not exclusive to academia.

Read all BULINGGA editions here:

bit.ly/BulinggaEdisiPertama

bit.ly/BulinggaEdisiKedua

bit.ly/BulinggaEdisiKetiga

bit.ly/BulinggaEdisiKeempat

On Wednesday, December 10th, 2025, Keluarga Mahasiswa Linguistik Universitas Gadjah Mada (Kalingga) successfully hosted its final project at the end of 2025, a lively book review titled “Language in the Shadow of Technology.” Reviewed by Cicik Tri Jayanti, S.Pd., M.A., and Amon Bernabas Tenis, S.Pd., the book presents the writings of linguistic students and lecturers on contemporary language issues. The book encompasses major topics on the involvement of technology, such as social media or Artificial Intelligence (AI), within the use of language in the modern day, the use of indigenous language,  and translation settings.

Located on the second floor of the Universitas Gadjah Mada Library, the discussion opens with a personal reflection on children’s cartoon narratives by Cicik Tri Jayanti, S.Pd., M.A., which spontaneously invites a burst of laughter from the audience. She further states that “a story” of a personal experience is a marker that differentiates human work and AI work.

Through her experience and observation, Cicik Tri Jayanti, S.Pd., M.A. found that there is an apparent and noticeable pattern in a large language model (LLM) that constantly needs evaluation. From the use of limited contradictory conjunctions to the unfocused organization of ideas, she highlights the imperfection and lack of authenticity of LLM. Therefore, she invites students to proactively employ AI as a research assistant rather than the main vehicle to conduct research: “Instead of using AI extensively, we should be better at managing our time.”

Comprising valuable exploration in empirical language, Cicik Tri Jayanti, S.Pd., M.A., describes reading the book as a tour to authentic data. She further suggests some improvements in the author guidelines to harmonize the topical ideas. As the head of this book review project, Amon Bernabas Tenis, S.Pd., also shares an interesting story of the book’s behind-the-scenes from August 2025, from the preparation to book socialization. He is grateful that the book received a warm response from the campus community. “Words rooted in sincerity will always connect and resonate with the reader’s own experiences,” he concluded.

As a part of the social action program, Keluarga Mahasiswa Linguistik Universitas Gadjah Mada successfully organized a decluttering initiative aimed at collecting and distributing gently used clothing to communities in need. The activity involved a series of well-planned stages, beginning with designing the event concept, creating posters and a timeline, and sharing the information widely. Students and the general public were invited to donate their unused but wearable clothes. Each donor also received a thank-you letter as a token of appreciation for their contribution.

All members of the Aksosmas division were actively present throughout the key stages of the initiative, including donation collection, sorting, and distribution. The donated clothes underwent a careful sorting process to ensure that only high-quality items were delivered to beneficiaries. The final distribution was held on Friday, 14 November 2025, at Masjid Nurul Asri, where representatives from the mosque attended and received the donations directly.

Despite the relatively short preparation period, the program ran smoothly and efficiently. The collaborative effort of the organizers and the positive response from donors contributed greatly to the initiative’s success. “We hope that this action not only benefits those in need, but also encourages individual sustainability,” stated Asma Haniza, the coordinator of Aksosmas Division.

This decluttering activity proved highly valuable, serving as a platform for both the campus community and the general public to give new purpose to unused clothing. Beyond supporting those in need, the initiative also encouraged individuals to declutter their personal spaces, highlighting how simple acts of organization can create meaningful social impact. Through this program, Kalingga demonstrated its commitment to fostering empathy, sustainability, and shared responsibility within the community.

Check the decluttering project here https://www.instagram.com/reel/DREN1pNgQIV/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Yogyakarta, September 25, 2025 – The Master’s Program of Linguistics, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada successfully hosted its annual Internal Quality Audit (AMI/Audit Mutu Internal) visit. The rigorous assessment, a crucial component of the university’s quality assurance cycle, took place in Room 305 of the Margono Building, providing valuable feedback to solidify the program’s academic and administrative standards.

The audit session involved detailed discussions spanning the administrative performance of the program over the past year. Auditors focused on various operational aspects, ensuring that documentation, curriculum implementation, and service standards meet UGM’s commitment to excellence. The Linguistics team present for the visit included esteemed faculty members: Prof. Dr. Suhandano, M.A., Prof. Dr. Sajarwa, M.Hum., Dr. Merry Andriani, S.S., M.L.C.S., Dr. Sailal Arimi, M.Hum., Dr. I Putu Permana Mahardika, S.S., M.Hum., along with administrative staff Rizky Alida, S.S., Elisabeth Kivana Damayanti, S.S., and Tita Febryta, S.S.

The program was assessed by a professional team comprising Sri Wahyuningsih, S.S., M.A. and Alif Subardono, S.T., M.Eng. A key focus of the discussion was the outstanding performance of both students and lecturers. The program highlighted notable achievements, including student successes in national and international conferences, and the continuous output of high-quality research from faculty members. These achievements reinforce the program’s stature as a leading center for linguistic studies in Indonesia.

The AMI visit concluded successfully, offering strategic recommendations for administrative enhancements and operational refinements. The Linguistics Program faculty and staff affirmed their unwavering commitment to continual improvement. The insights gained from the audit will be immediately utilized to refine administrative efficiency, foster greater student and faculty achievements, and ensure the program remains at the forefront of linguistic research and education. This dedication ensures that the program is not only compliant with national standards but is consistently striving to be better.

The Lokakarya Sarkarapraja (Sarkarapraja Workshop), held on 19 October 2025 at Rooms 625–627 of the Soegondo Building, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada, brought together Kalingga UGM (Keluarga Mahasiswa Linguistik Universitas Gadjah Mada) and the Wikimedia Community in Yogyakarta in a collaborative initiative to strengthen historical documentation efforts in Indonesia. Focused on editing and producing articles about the history of the sugar industry in Java, the workshop served as a platform for students to learn, create, and contribute to open-access knowledge.

The event was designed to introduce participants to editing tools on Indonesian Wikipedia, a key platform under the Wikimedia Foundation that supports public knowledge-sharing. Students were guided step by step through the process of writing a full article from scratch. Each participant received a specific historical topic, such as Pabrik Gula Kedungbanteng or Makam Jonkheer Hermanus Folkert Van Ingen along with relevant photo materials. These topics were selected for their significance in the development of Java’s early sugar industry, an industry that shaped the island’s economy, labor systems, and sociocultural landscapes for centuries.

Beyond improving writing and digital literacy skills, the workshop emphasized the importance of preserving local history. By producing well-researched Wikipedia entries, students helped safeguard narratives and discourse that are often overlooked in mainstream historical accounts. Their contributions enrich the collective memory of Java’s industrial past and ensure that future generations can access reliable information about the region’s sugar heritage.

Through this collaboration, participants not only enhanced historical documentation but also became active cultural custodians within the Indonesian Wikipedia community.

The common stereotypes surrounding linguistics are the vast volume of evolving theories and specialized scholarly discourse. However, Bincang Karier Linguistik UGM 2025 has demonstrated that linguistic contributions to society extend beyond academic subjects. Hosted by Siti Radibah Imatufariq, Linguistics Master’s Program, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada, invited three alumni across different fields to share their journeys and experiences working in multilingual societies.

This event was held online on Saturday, October 11, 2025, featuring three resource persons: Dr. Ike Revita, S.S., M.Hum., a lecturer in the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Andalas; Dr. Restu Sukesti, M.Hum., a researcher in Badan Riset dan Inovasi Nasional (BRIN); and Prayudi Wijaya, M.A., a legal translator and a court interpreter. In this discussion, these speakers shared valuable reflections on the work challenges and linguistic opportunities in the academic landscape, AI configuration, translation, creative industries, and language policies.

Drawing on over 25 years as a lecturer, Dr. Ike Revita, S.S., M.Hum. acknowledged the discrepancy between theoretical frameworks and practical reality. Therefore, she emphasizes case-based learning in the class to help students stay relevant to the world’s current issues and prepare them for professional practices. The role of linguistics is also heavily encouraged in cultural preservation. Dr. Restu Sukesti, M.Hum., who works on language conservation at BRIN, suggests how many indigenous languages in Indonesia remain unexplored and at risk of extinction. She further invites Linguistics graduates to join and preserve the cultural legacy by documenting traditional languages across Indonesia through research. As a language practitioner in localization, Prayudi Wijaya, M.A. unraveled broader prospects for Linguistics students in legal, creative, marketing, and technical industries.

Given the significant growth of AI, the three alumni present a proactive and positive stance toward the technology. They suggest that instead of wariness, Linguistics students should reflect and adapt to AI, aligning with the field’s inherently dynamic nature. Prayudi Wijaya, M.A., even demonstrated that the translation field does not perceive AI as a threat. Instead, he stated that it is the role of linguists to provide contextualization that improves a text’s legibility. The event concluded with a remark for a prospective collaboration between scholars and practitioners to establish a thorough documentation on language variation and to provide an adaptive standardization in the translation industry.

The Linguistics Master’s Program, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada, held an insightful workshop on writing and publishing articles in reputable journals on September 22, 2025. In this meeting, Dr. Arina Isti’anah, S.Pd., M.Hum., introduced the mechanisms of journal publication and manuscript preparation, as well as delivering best practices for publishing articles in accredited, highly-regarded journals, such as SINTA and Scopus. The aspiring lecturer has successfully published seven manuscripts in Scopus-indexed journals in recent years, a feat that inspires the students to enhance their writing, collaboration, and scholarly contribution.

In manuscript preparation, Dr. Arina Isti’anah, S.Pd., M.Hum. emphasizes the importance of novelty in theory and methodology, as well as presenting the move structure to improve the clarity of an article. She added that linguistics also grows and adapts to current issues, thus contributing to a world that constantly grapples with ever-evolving topics, such as climate and environmental issues. She further gives an instance that the development of corpus-assisted methodology and critical ecological approaches is a fresh nuance in linguistic studies, valuable for addressing the current Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The session also features a series of discussions focused on manuscripts submitted by student volunteers, with a critical review of their clarity, cohesion, and grammatical issues. Each work is examined using the checklist derived from the provided parameters. For example, the writer should consider establishing a territory, establishing a niche, and further occupying the niche in the introduction. It is also important to contextualize the research and provide a comprehensive methodology by thoroughly describing the study and building credibility.

When it comes to challenges in international publication, Dr. Arina Isti’anah, S.Pd., M.Hum., constantly invites student collaborations and the involvement of local data with a global perspective. It inspires linguistic students to try their luck at publishing in reputable journals and to perceive rejections as a free valuable feedback. It is valuable to navigate their academic journey better, especially in redefining their focus, novelty, and impact factors. This activity finally fosters an understanding of writing ethics, reference management, and publication procedures that form an academic culture that encourages students to contribute to the field of linguistics.

The Master’s Program in Linguistics, Faculty of Cultural Sciences Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), held a public lecture titled “Outside Perspectives: Language Classification in Multilingual Oral Corpora” at the R. Soegondo Auditorium. The event welcomed both the academic community and the general public, featuring Dr. Zara Maxwell-Smith, Lecturer in Indonesian Studies at the School of Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS), UNSW Canberra, as the keynote speaker.

The lecture was officially opened by Prof. Dr. Suhandano, M.A., Head of the Linguistics Master’s Program. In his remarks, he encouraged participants to collaborate in advancing linguistic research and to take full advantage of the opportunity to learn from the invited speaker.

In her presentation, Dr. Maxwell-Smith highlighted the major challenges of building a multilingual oral corpus. She explained that such corpora are difficult to annotate and describe, noting obstacles such as managing non-verbal signals, converting oral communication into cross-linguistic written systems, transcriber subjectivity, and the extensive time required for manual transcription.

She then presented findings from her research on Indonesian language teaching for non-native speakers (BIPA) in classroom settings. According to her, teacher speech is a professional practice that carries risks if not managed carefully, as training data may shape perceptions of teaching practices as well as teachers’ own understanding of their work. She emphasized the importance of employing sensitive approaches to prevent negative impacts on the professional reputation of educators.

Despite these challenges, Dr. Maxwell-Smith also emphasized the empirical benefits of the research. Her findings can inform teachers, curriculum developers, researchers, and policymakers. More broadly, the study contributes to the improvement of Indonesian language teaching, provides resources for bilingual NLP development, and positions education at the core of NLP technology applications.

The air was filled with a mix of excitement and anticipation as new 2025 Linguistic students gathered for a special welcoming event on August 14th, 2025. The program has led a student gathering to mark the start of their academic journey. This event was meticulously planned to introduce the newly enrolled students to the program, campus community, and the opportunities that lay ahead.

The event commenced with a series of formal addresses. Firstly, the chairperson of the committee, Aninda Ayu, delivered a welcoming speech, highlighting the importance of the gathering and the potential that each new student brings to the university. This was followed by a heartfelt address from the Kalingga’s chairperson, Rezki Ramadhani, who introduced the organization’s role in fostering a vibrant student community and providing support for all members.

Next, the head of the study program, Prof. Dr. Suhandano, M.A., offered a pivotal two-part session. First, a warm speech that welcomes the new students, and the second is a comprehensive academic information session. The Head of the Study Program also outlined the study plan mechanism, academic policies, and the faculty’s resources to accommodate students’ research. “This activity provides insight for batch 2025 students to understand the study flow and culture in FIB UGM, as well as getting to know the three concentrations, descriptive linguistics, sociolinguistics, and translation better.  It allows a thorough discussion between the head of the study program, student organization, and all students to prepare and adapt to the new academic term,” said Rizky Alida, the representative of the Linguistics Program.

The atmosphere then shifted to a more relaxed and joyful mood with a special entertainment segment from various linguistics students. The event was further concluded with two key activities focused on community building and leadership. It is the further introduction of Kalingga, an integral part of the student body. It provided an opportunity for new students to learn about the organization and how they could become involved. Finally, the election of the class chairman was held, and Nawalul Fawaid El Haqi was elected as the class chairman of the Linguistics batch of 2025.

By the end of the day, the new students left with not only a clearer understanding of their academic path but also a sense of belonging and community. “I was initially confused about what specialization to take, but now I have an overview of what each specialization will be like. It really helped me to navigate my future research,” said Annisa Eka Octaviani, one of the new Linguistics students. They are ready to embrace the opportunities that await them.

On 25 May 2025, students from the Linguistics Department, particularly those in Anthropological Linguistics classes, embarked on an enriching field trip. They venture beyond the classroom to study ethnozoology, ethnobotany, cultural practices, and toponymy in a real-life setting. This experience aimed to bridge theoretical knowledge with practical application, offering a firsthand look at how language shapes culture and how linguists document its structures.

Led by Prof. Dr. Suhandano M.A., the Anthropological Linguistics Class is divided into A and B groups. The A group went to Logending Beach, Kebumen, Central Java, to observe the production of salted fish, lexicons of sea fishing, local myths and knowledge of fishers, toponymy of Logending areas, and ecological values in the mangrove cultivation.

Kebumen presents a highly valuable dataset. “Some people in the community do farming and fishing as a source of income, which is deeply grounded in local wisdom. They also use a unique Banyumasan dialect here, making it more interesting and worth studying,” Alida, one of the students, stated. Here, they observed how language isn’t just a tool for communication but a repository of cultural knowledge, values, and social norms.

The second group, Anthropological Linguistics B, went to Baron Beach, Kemadang, Gunungkidul, Special Region of Yogyakarta. Seventeen students are divided into smaller groups to analyze Baron’s sacred Banyan tree, Larung Laut tradition, the variety of fish species, and the marine vegetation in Baron Beach. By examining the language within these cultural practices, students can unravel their implied significance.

This activity serves as a valuable experience and challenge for students to conduct proper field research. “Sometimes our research doesn’t go as we have planned. Therefore, we learned to deliver questions strategically to gain sufficient resources, while avoiding confusing the respondents,” said Ainun, the student who researched the cultural symbols behind the sacred banyan tree in Baron Beach. This event also facilitated students to engage with community members, not just as speakers of a language, but as custodians of a rich cultural heritage.

Watch the Anthropological Linguistics Class A trip to Gunungkidul on https://www.instagram.com/p/DLRlMZ5hqvd/

Watch the Anthropological Linguistics Class B trip to Kebumen on https://www.instagram.com/p/DK3YcD3hc7-/