Christine Mallinson: What Does Language Do and What Can We Do With It?

The annual Lipitz Lecture features Christine Mallinson, who will speak on “What Does Language Do and What Can We Do With It? “ This event is part of the Spring 2024 Social Sciences Forum.

Language is essential to humanity. How we use language is a key part of how we define ourselves and how we relate to each other, as individuals and in society. In recent years, however, the authenticity of how we communicate has been disrupted by the rise of AI-generated content, including images, video, text, and audio, which can be used as powerful vehicles for deception. In this talk, centering the case of audio deepfakes, Mallinson explores why language matters: what it does, how it works, and what we can do with knowledge about how humans use it. Through interdisciplinary collaborations, she asserts, researchers can more fully address pressing challenges of our time—from misinformation and disinformation, to developing ethical and responsible language technologies, to sustaining global linguistic diversity, while advancing equity and inclusion in the humanistic and scientific study of language itself.

Christine Mallinson is a professor in the Language, Literacy & Culture Program at UMBC, an affiliate professor of Gender, Women’s + Sexuality Studies. She is the director of the Center for Social Science Scholarship, and Special Assistant for Research & Creative Achievement in the Office of Research & Creative Achievement.

The Lipitz Lecture is organized by the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences and co-sponsored by the Center for Social Science Scholarship.

Photo by Melissa Penley Cormier.