Anne-Michelle Tessier

Anne-Michelle Tessier is an Associate Professor at the University of British Columbia (UBC) within the Faculty of Arts, Department of Linguistics. As Director of the UBC Child Phonology Lab, she investigates theoretical phonology and language acquisition through constraint-based grammars like Optimality Theory (OT), Harmonic Grammar, and Harmonic Serialism. Her interdisciplinary research bridges phonology with cognitive science, speech technology, and biomedical applications.

• PhD in Linguistics, UMass Amherst (2006)
• Former Assistant/Associate Professor, University of Alberta (2006-2016)
• Lecturer in Linguistics/Psychology, University of Michigan (2016-2018)
• Adjunct Professor, Simon Fraser University (2016-2019)

Her research focuses on phonological acquisition, constraint-based learning algorithms, and cross-linguistic studies. She explores topics such as:

• U-shaped development in child phonology
• Second language production/perception in childhood
• Prosodic processing in cochlear implant users
• Morpho-phonological domain interactions
• French liaison acquisition mechanisms
• Swearword phonological satisfaction

Key publications include her textbook Phonological Acquisition and work on error-driven learning models. She previously served as Associate Editor for Glossa and Lingua journals. Current projects examine English onset clusters, French liaison simulations, and L1/L2 phonological modeling.