Research Goals and Interests
In what ways can the study of human language inform our understanding of human cognition? I first became interested in linguistics because I was interested in what it means to be human, and how (or if!) our cognitive experience differs from that of other animals. Language provides a particularly insightful lens through which to pursue answers to these questions, as it appears to be a uniquely human phenomenon. To this end, I am interested in the extent to which human language can be explained by general cognitive abilities, without explicit reference to unique faculties of knowledge or cognitive processing. Toward this goal, my research focuses on small-level phenomena and how they inform issues in language emergence, acquisition, evolution, and our linguistic knowledge more broadly.
In particular, I am interested in the production, perception, and processing of human speech. Questions of interest in this domain include: How is the lexicon organized? How is lexical-phonetic information stored, accessed, and processed? How do lexical-phonetic properties affect language change over time? My dissertation research addresses some of these and related questions (see below).
I am also interested in how cross-linguistic patterns may be explained in domain-general terms, such as through non-linguistic biases in processing or learning. Questions of interest in this domain include: To what extent can lexical and morphosyntactic patterns across languages be explained in semantic and/or pragmatic terms? To what extent can cross-linguistic grammatical patterns be explained by processing and/or learning biases unrelated to language? Additional research projects in morphosyntax and artificial language learning addresses these and related questions (see below).
In what ways can the study of human language inform our understanding of human cognition? I first became interested in linguistics because I was interested in what it means to be human, and how (or if!) our cognitive experience differs from that of other animals. Language provides a particularly insightful lens through which to pursue answers to these questions, as it appears to be a uniquely human phenomenon. To this end, I am interested in the extent to which human language can be explained by general cognitive abilities, without explicit reference to unique faculties of knowledge or cognitive processing. Toward this goal, my research focuses on small-level phenomena and how they inform issues in language emergence, acquisition, evolution, and our linguistic knowledge more broadly.
In particular, I am interested in the production, perception, and processing of human speech. Questions of interest in this domain include: How is the lexicon organized? How is lexical-phonetic information stored, accessed, and processed? How do lexical-phonetic properties affect language change over time? My dissertation research addresses some of these and related questions (see below).
I am also interested in how cross-linguistic patterns may be explained in domain-general terms, such as through non-linguistic biases in processing or learning. Questions of interest in this domain include: To what extent can lexical and morphosyntactic patterns across languages be explained in semantic and/or pragmatic terms? To what extent can cross-linguistic grammatical patterns be explained by processing and/or learning biases unrelated to language? Additional research projects in morphosyntax and artificial language learning addresses these and related questions (see below).
Dissertation Research
My dissertation focuses on corpora of spontaneous speech in English to study systematic variations in phonetic output and the cognitive and psycholinguistic mechanisms underlying them. This research addresses three major questions:
This research has been conducted under the supervision of Dr. Andrew Wedel, and includes publications or presentations involving the following phenomena:
Additional Projects as Primary Researcher
The Hiaki 'Ability Passive'
This project with Dr. Heidi Harley included documentation and analysis of a phrasal construction of ability in Hiaki (alt. Yaqui, Yoeme), an indigenous Uto-Aztecan language of Arizona (U.S.A.) and Sonora (Mexico). Based on new data from elicitation sessions, this work examines the semantics and morphosyntax of this construction, which involves a free morpheme of ability aa 'to be able' / 'to know how' and the bound verbalizing suffix -tu 'be' / 'become', which together create a passive of ability. This construction bears semantic and morphosyntactic similarities to adjectival constructions of ability or potentiality in a variety of languages, including English -able, but the Hiaki variant is distinctly phrasal and productive. [WSCLA 2016; submitted MS]
My dissertation focuses on corpora of spontaneous speech in English to study systematic variations in phonetic output and the cognitive and psycholinguistic mechanisms underlying them. This research addresses three major questions:
- What kinds of lexical-phonological neighbors trigger contrastively hyper-articulated word tokens in spontaneous speech?
- What are the phonetic outcomes of this contrastive hyper-articulation?
- How do higher-level phenomena, such as predictability/informativity, affect the extent or likelihood of contrastive hyper-articulation?
This research has been conducted under the supervision of Dr. Andrew Wedel, and includes publications or presentations involving the following phenomena:
- voice onset time as a cue to the voicing contrast in English plosives [LSA 2016, IWLP, LSA 2017; DOI: JPhon 2017, JML 2018]
- f0 as a cue to the voicing contrast in English plosives [LSA 2019]
- first and second formant realizations as a cue to phonemic identity in English vowels [LSA 2017, DOI: JML 2018]
- duration as a cue to phonemic identity in English vowels [AMP 2016]
Additional Projects as Primary Researcher
The Hiaki 'Ability Passive'
This project with Dr. Heidi Harley included documentation and analysis of a phrasal construction of ability in Hiaki (alt. Yaqui, Yoeme), an indigenous Uto-Aztecan language of Arizona (U.S.A.) and Sonora (Mexico). Based on new data from elicitation sessions, this work examines the semantics and morphosyntax of this construction, which involves a free morpheme of ability aa 'to be able' / 'to know how' and the bound verbalizing suffix -tu 'be' / 'become', which together create a passive of ability. This construction bears semantic and morphosyntactic similarities to adjectival constructions of ability or potentiality in a variety of languages, including English -able, but the Hiaki variant is distinctly phrasal and productive. [WSCLA 2016; submitted MS]
Past Research Projects (as RA)
Information transmission and processing biases in language learning
This project uses an artificial language learning paradigm to test the roles of information transmission and processing biases in language learning. These studies are being implemented through the new, web-based experiment-building platform FindingFive.
Primary researcher: Dr. Maryia Fedzechkina
On-line enhancement of contrastive phonetic features
This project uses cooperative, game-like experiments to investigate how speakers adjust their phonetic output on-line during spontaneous communication.
Primary researcher: Dr. Andrew Wedel
Hiaki Grammar for Learners and Teachers
Preparation of teaching materials for the endangered Uto-Aztecan language Hiaki (alt. Yaqui, Yoeme), spoken in Arizona and Sonora. I have also been involved in the documentation and analysis of Hiaki for both the advancement of our understanding of human language and for the sake of the language community.
Primary researcher: Dr. Heidi Harley
Information transmission and processing biases in language learning
This project uses an artificial language learning paradigm to test the roles of information transmission and processing biases in language learning. These studies are being implemented through the new, web-based experiment-building platform FindingFive.
Primary researcher: Dr. Maryia Fedzechkina
On-line enhancement of contrastive phonetic features
This project uses cooperative, game-like experiments to investigate how speakers adjust their phonetic output on-line during spontaneous communication.
Primary researcher: Dr. Andrew Wedel
Hiaki Grammar for Learners and Teachers
Preparation of teaching materials for the endangered Uto-Aztecan language Hiaki (alt. Yaqui, Yoeme), spoken in Arizona and Sonora. I have also been involved in the documentation and analysis of Hiaki for both the advancement of our understanding of human language and for the sake of the language community.
Primary researcher: Dr. Heidi Harley