The 1st Workshop on
Computational Developmental Linguistics (CDL)


July 3 or 4, 2026
Co-located with ACL 2026, San Diego



Overview

Background

The first workshop on computational developmental linguistics (CDL) invites interdisciplinary contributions broadly in the topic of computational developmental linguistics. By computational developmental linguistics, we broadly refer to the studies of computational modeling of language acquisition and change over time, encompassing both individual learners, including humans or machines, throughout their lifetime and across populations. Particularly, we welcome submissions that study the developmental trajectories through which learners master phonology, lexicon, and syntax, as well as the idiolectal shifts that arise as speakers adapt to new communities, domains, or interlocutors. With the advent of neural language models (LMs), we now have large-scale systems that can be examined for learning dynamics, representational change, knowledge tracing, and language adaptation. Beyond static text corpora, interactive and multimodal training regimes make it possible to reverse-engineer developmental conditions, explore resource-efficient learning, and measure parallels and divergences between human and machine language acquisition. This rapidly growing area not only advances our understanding of how linguistic capabilities emerge and evolve in artificial systems, but also provides new potential for generating hypotheses about human language learning.

Scope and Goal

This workshop aims to bridge the conversation between modern machine learning and developmental linguistics. We hope to draw inspiration from both fields, identifying similarities and differences in the (im)plausibilities of comparing LMs and human language learning, to motivate better LM engineering and more rigorous computational modeling of human language acquisition. Possible comparisons include (1) pretraining dynamics vs. first language acquisition: relating the data and scaling behavior of large models to the developmental timelines, stages, and milestones documented in human language learning; (2) continual learning and post-training vs. idiolect change and second language acquisition: exploring how ongoing adaptation, fine-tuning, or domain shifts in large models mirror semantic drift and individual language change in human speakers. By bringing together researchers from machine learning, computational linguistics, cognitive science, and developmental psychology, we aim to foster cross-disciplinary dialogue and establish frameworks for building computational models and performing computational analyses of language development, enabling scientifically rigorous comparisons between humans and machines without overly anthropomorphizing LMs.

Call for Papers

Topics of Interest

The scope and topics include, but are not limited to:

  • Computational models for developmental linguistics. Models and formalisms for simulating first and second language acquisition, including data constraints, model architectures, training objectives, and frameworks for modeling idiolect change and semantic drift.
  • Learning dynamics in pretraining and post-training of LMs. Behavioral and mechanistic interpretations of how linguistic and cognitive competence emerge during pretraining, and how it evolves through post-training (e.g., finetuning, alignment, and domain adaptation). In addition to text-only LMs, we encourage approaches that integrate multiple modalities and interactive learning, as these more closely mirror human language acquisition processes.
  • Comparisons of developmental linguistics in humans and machines. Comparing the processes, constraints, and outcomes of language acquisition in humans and artificial learners; examining the possibilities, limitations, and methodological challenges of such comparisons; relating model learning trajectories to developmental timelines and milestones in humans; and conducting these analyses in a scientifically rigorous manner without over-anthropomorphizing LMs.
  • Knowledge tracing and developmental diagnostics. Developing tools and methods to track the acquisition, transformation, and retention of linguistic knowledge in LMs, including phase transition detection, benchmarks, and probes of representational change.
  • Applications in language education and clinical NLP. Applying insights from computational developmental linguistics to improve LM engineering, language tutoring systems, child-directed AI interaction, adaptive educational technology, and computational models of neurological communication disorders.

Submission Format

  • Page Limits: We welcome short papers up to 4 pages and full papers up to 8 pages, both excluding references, with 1 additional page allowed for camera-ready version to address reviewer comments.
  • Archival Options: This workshop is optionally archival to ACL Anthology. Please indicate your selection of an "archival submission" or a "non-archival submission" at the bottom of your OpenReview Submission Portal. The archival option will not influence the decision of your submission.

Submissions must be prepared in PDF format using the ACL-style template through OpenReview.

Important Dates

All times are AoE (Anywhere on Earth).
  • Submission Open: December 15th, 2025
  • Submission Due: March 20th, 2026
  • Review Due: April 22nd, 2026
  • Notification of Acceptance: May 1st, 2026
  • Camera-Ready Due (tentative): May 15th, 2026
  • Workshop Day: July 3 or 4, 2026 (co-located with ACL 2026)

Confirmed Keynote Speakers (Alphabetical Order)

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Brian MacWhinney

Carnegie Mellon University
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Kanishka Misra

UT Austin
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Mariya Toneva

Max Planck Institute

Confirmed Panelists (Alphabetical Order)

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Joyce Chai

University of Michigan
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Naomi Saphra

Boston University
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Yang Xu

University of Toronto

Organizing Committee

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Martin Ziqiao Ma

University of Michigan
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Emmy Liu

Carnegie Mellon University
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Jing Liu

École Normale Supérieure
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Tyler A. Chang

Google DeepMind
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Abdellah Fourtassi

Aix-Marseille University
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Alex Warstadt

UC San Diego
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Michael Hahn

Saarland University
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Weiwei Sun

University of Cambridge
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Freda Shi

University of Waterloo / Vector Institute

Workshop Venue

Grand Hyatt Manchester San Diego

Room: TBD

1 Market Pl, San Diego, CA 92101

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I submit a manuscript that is not accepted yet but is on arxiv and/or is currently under review?

Yes, please select the non-archival option. Note that computer vision conferences such as CVPR and ICCV consider peer-reviewed workshop papers as publications if their length exceeds 4 pages (excluding references), even if they do not appear in proceedings.
If you are considering submitting your paper later to these conferences, please consider submitting an abridged version as a short paper (up to 4 pages).

Can I submit a paper that has been accepted to ACL 2026 main/findings?

Yes, please select the non-archival option!

Can I volunteer as a reviewer for CDL?

Yes! Please fill in the reviewer nomination form and we will be in touch!

Contact

Address

1 Market Pl, San Diego, CA 92101

Join Slack

Computational Developmental Linguistics

Email Us

[email protected]