Find Academic Supervisors

Erik ZymanView profile

Assistant Professor

• Theoretical Syntax
• Syntax-Morphology Interface
• Syntax-Semantics Interface
• +2 more

Erik Zyman is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Linguistics at the University of Chicago, where he has taught since 2018. His research focuses on theoretical syntax, particularly the principles governing syntactic structure formation, crosslinguistic variation, and the cognitive foundations of syntactic operations. His work explores elementary operations like Merge (external and internal), constituency, selection, projection, adjunction, phases, and antilocality, with case studies in English, Latin, and P’urhepecha. His recent publications analyze phase constraints, argument/adjunct distinctions, and movement phenomena. He teaches foundational and advanced courses in syntax, including Introduction to Syntax (LING 20201), Advanced Syntax (LING 20202), and a graduate seminar on derivationalism vs. representationalism. His research integrates empirical data with theoretical frameworks to address universal and language-specific syntactic properties.

Laura BeckerView profile

Assistant Professor

• Linguistic Typology
• Quantitative Linguistics
• Coding Efficiency
• +4 more

Laura Becker is an Assistant Professor at the Department of General Linguistics, University of Freiburg. Her research focuses on linguistic typology, quantitative methodology, and the role of coding efficiency in grammatical structures. She holds a PhD exploring article systems across languages and has contributed to cross-linguistic studies on syntax, morphology, and sociolinguistics. Her work emphasizes statistical rigor and computational tools, such as the glottospace R package for geospatial linguistic analysis. Recent projects include investigating phoneme inventories in Polynesian languages and socio-linguistic influences on conditional constructions. Publications highlight her expertise in morphosyntax, language contact, and corpus-based approaches. No scientific awards are explicitly mentioned in the provided materials. Dr. Becker has advised no recorded students in the available data and has not listed specific grants or labs. Her current research trends prioritize quantitative frameworks to address typological and evolutionary questions in linguistics.

Carmel O’ShannessyView profile

Senior Lecturer

• Language Contact
• Mixed Languages
• Language Acquisition
• +4 more

Carmel O’Shannessy is a Senior Lecturer at the Australian National University’s School of Literature, Languages and Linguistics and an affiliate of the ARC Centre of Excellence for the Dynamics of Language (CoEDL) . Her work focuses on language contact, mixed languages, and child language acquisition, particularly in Indigenous Australian communities. Education: PhD in Linguistics (University of Sydney, Australia; Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, The Netherlands, 2007) She has documented the development of Light Warlpiri , a new mixed language, since its emergence. Her research explores how children and adults contribute to contact-induced language change, with fieldwork in Central Australia since 1996. Key projects include her ARC Future Fellowship grant for tracking Indigenous children’s language development. Recent publications span topics like typology of Australian contact languages, child-directed speech modifications in Warlpiri, and sociolinguistic dynamics of youth language varieties. Her work appears in journals such as Journal of Pidgin and Creole Languages and Languages , as well as edited volumes like The Oxford Guide to Australian Languages . Scientific Awards: ARC Future Fellowship She has mentored students including Francois-Xavier Faucounau , Annie Kwai , and Zobule . Her interdisciplinary approach combines linguistic analysis, digital tools (e.g., the Little Kids Learning Languages app), and community collaboration. Labs/Teams: ARC Centre of Excellence for the Dynamics of Language (CoEDL)

Guillaume ThomasView profile

Associate Professor

• Linguistics
• Corpus Linguistics
• Semantics
• +4 more

Guillaume Thomas is an Associate Professor in the Department of Linguistics at the University of Toronto. His research focuses on the study of meaning (semantics and pragmatics) in relation to morphosyntactic structures, particularly in Mbyá Guaraní, a Tupí-Guaraní language spoken in Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay. He combines corpus linguistics and digital methods with fieldwork, developing resources like dependency treebanks and morphological analyzers. His work includes language documentation projects, such as the National Inventory of the Cultural Heritage of the Guaranis in Brazil, which involved community-based documentation of oral traditions. His research interests also encompass usage-based approaches, probabilistic models in language analysis, and the interface between semantics and syntax. Education: PhD in Linguistics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Research Interests: Cross-linguistic semantics and pragmatics Morphosyntax and its interface with meaning Language documentation and digital linguistics Corpus-based methods and computational tools for endangered languages Funding: Supported by grants from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and the Connaught Fund. His work integrates theoretical linguistics with practical applications in language preservation and computational modeling. Labs/Teams: He collaborates with the Indigenous Museum of Rio de Janeiro on documentation projects and contributes to the Universal Dependencies project for syntactic annotation.

Emily ElfnerView profile

Associate Professor

• Linguistics
• Phonology
• Phonetics
• +2 more

Emily Elfner is Associate Professor in the Department of Languages, Literatures and Linguistics at York University, specializing in phonological interfaces. Education includes: PhD, University of Massachusetts Amherst MA, University of Calgary BA, University of Calgary Research investigates prosodic structures in endangered languages, particularly Kwak'wala phonology and Irish syntax-prosody interactions. SSHRC-funded fieldwork documents Kwak'wala intonation patterns. Publications demonstrate consistent focus on prosodic systems across diverse languages including Breton, Irish, Inuktitut, and Tlingit. Recent works examine word-order constraints, morphological-prosodic mappings, and recursive phonological structures.

Katharina HaudeView profile

Research Fellow

• Linguistics
• Language Documentation
• Syntax
• +3 more

Dr. Katharina Haude is a Chargée de Recherche HDR (Research Fellow) at the Laboratoire Structure et Dynamique des Langues (SeDyL - CNRS UMR8202) in Villejuif, France, and maintains an active affiliation with the Department of Linguistics at the University of Cologne, Germany. Her research focuses on the documentation and theoretical analysis of endangered languages, particularly the Movima language isolate spoken in Bolivia. Her academic background includes: Habilitation (HDR) from Université de Paris (2020) PhD in Linguistics from Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen (2006) Magister Artium (MA) in Linguistics from the University of Cologne (2001) Dr. Haude's research centers on syntax and information structure in under-documented languages, with Movima serving as her primary case study. Her work examines alignment systems, voice constructions, nominal tense, and clause structure, revealing how syntactic phenomena interact with discourse-pragmatic factors. She has made significant contributions to understanding inverse systems, ergativity patterns, and referential hierarchies across language families, particularly through her co-edited volumes on information structure and alignment. Her methodological approach combines rigorous fieldwork with cross-linguistic typological analysis, often focusing on how lesser-described languages challenge established theoretical frameworks. As a member of SeDyL laboratory, she contributes to collaborative projects documenting linguistic diversity, including the DoBeS archive of Movima multimedia documentation (2006-2012). Her editorial work includes special issues on information structure in lesser-described languages (2018) and referential hierarchies (2016), advancing methodological approaches for studying prosody-syntax interfaces in endangered languages. She has developed pedagogical materials for the Movima community, including grammars, dictionaries, and orthographic guides, demonstrating commitment to both theoretical linguistics and language preservation.

• Austronesian languages
• Papuan languages
• Eastern Indonesia
• +8 more

Professor I Wayan Arka is a leading academic at the School of Culture, History & Language, Australian National University (ANU), with a focus on Austronesian and Papuan languages. He has held leadership roles including Head of Linguistics Program (2014-2021, 2024-present) and Convenor of the Indonesian Language Program (2021-2023). His career spans theoretical linguistics, typology, and language documentation, supported by funding from the ARC, ELDP, and UK AHRC grants. PhD and MPhil in Linguistics (University of Sydney) MA in Applied Linguistics (University of Sydney) His research integrates Lexical-Functional Grammar (LFG) with fieldwork on Indonesia's diverse languages, emphasizing community collaboration and digital archiving. Recent projects include the Barrier Islands Project (2023-2027) and Enggano language studies (2019-2024). Key publication themes include: Corpus-based typology and syntactic analysis Computational grammar implementation Orthography development for endangered languages Scientific recognitions: Elected Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia (2021) Elected Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities (2022) He supervises research students and contributes to interdisciplinary linguistics teaching, covering syntax, morphology, and Austronesian languages.

Marlyse BaptistaView profile

Professor

• Creole Languages
• Syntax
• Language Contact
• +4 more

Marlyse Baptista is a Professor of Linguistics at the University of Michigan’s College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA). Her research focuses on creole languages, particularly Cape Verdean Creole, exploring morpho-syntax, language contact, sociolinguistics, and documentation. She has made significant contributions to creole studies through fieldwork in Cape Verde, examining language variation and historical roots. Baptista is a Fellow of the Linguistic Society of America (2016), recognizing her distinguished contributions. She has advised numerous students at the University of Georgia and the University of Michigan, mentoring work on syntax, language contact, and creole formation. Her fieldwork across Cape Verde’s nine islands has produced a comprehensive corpus of natural speech data, advancing creole documentation and advocacy for its official status. Collaborations include the Atlas of Pidgin and Creole Language Structures and interdisciplinary projects linking genetics with language origins. Baptista’s research bridges theoretical linguistics and sociopolitical activism, promoting creole languages in education and cultural preservation. Education: Ph.D. in Linguistics from Harvard University, postdoctoral work at MIT, and academic roles at the University of Georgia (1998–2007) before joining the University of Michigan in 2007. She co-founded the Cape Verdean Creole Institute and led literacy workshops to advance creole’s role in education. Key Research Areas: Creole syntax, language contact, sociolinguistics, and applied linguistics. She uses generative syntax and typological frameworks to analyze creole systems while advocating for creole languages’ institutional recognition.

Vera HohausView profile

Senior Lecturer

• Theoretical Linguistics
• Fieldwork
• Crosslinguistic Variation
• +4 more

Vera Hohaus is a Senior Lecturer in Linguistics at the University of Manchester, affiliated with the School of Arts, Languages, and Culture and the Department of Linguistics and English Language. She obtained her PhD from Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen and has trained at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and the University of British Columbia. Her research investigates how meaning emerges from the interaction of syntactic structure, lexical information, composition principles, and context. She specializes in crosslinguistic variation and its implications for language acquisition and processing. Current projects examine scalarity representation, comparison constructions, tense-modality architecture, and the grammar of alternatives. Recent publications focus on temporal ambiguity processing, crosslinguistic pragmatics, comparative semantics, and modality across languages. Her work demonstrates methodological diversity combining theoretical frameworks with experimental approaches. She leads the Psycholinguistics Laboratory and Fieldwork Hub, mentoring students in research methods and linguistic analysis. Her collaborations span multiple international institutions including the University of Oxford and University of British Columbia.

Michelle YuanView profile

Assistant Professor

• Theoretical Syntax
• Syntax-Morphology Interface
• Case and Agreement
• +6 more

Michelle Yuan is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Linguistics at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Previously, she held the same position at UC San Diego from 2019 to 2023. She earned her PhD in Linguistics from MIT, alongside a BA and MA in Linguistics from the University of Toronto. Her research focuses on theoretical syntax and the syntax-morphology interface, particularly examining case, agreement, and movement phenomena in ergative languages. She specializes in Inuktitut and Inuit-Yupik-Unangan languages, with recent work on San Juan Piñas Mixtec (Tò’ōn Ndá’ví). Her investigations emphasize morphosyntactic properties of pronominal clitics, tonal systems, and language documentation for reclamation efforts. Recent publications explore clitic coalescence in Mixtec, morphological conditions in Inuktitut noun incorporation, and tonal analysis in Mixtec. Her work often combines formal syntactic theory with fieldwork-driven data from underdocumented languages. Collaborations include projects with Gabriela Caballero, Claudia Juárez Chávez, and Indigenous language experts, focusing on linguistic resource development. Her research bridges formal syntax with applied documentation, addressing both theoretical and sociolinguistic dimensions of language preservation.

Jeffrey HeathView profile

Professor

• Language Documentation
• Historical Linguistics
• Morphology
• +5 more

Jeffrey Heath is a Professor of Linguistics at the University of Michigan, with a dry-line appointment in Near Eastern Studies. His research focuses on language documentation, historical linguistics, morphology, and the study of African languages. He has conducted extensive fieldwork in Mali, Morocco, Australia, and other regions, particularly on Dogon, Songhay, and Berber languages. Heath holds a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago (1976) and a B.A. from Harvard University (1971). His work includes over 20 books and numerous articles on linguistic typology, language contact, and morphological evolution. He has received significant grants from the National Science Foundation, Guggenheim Foundation, and Fulbright Program. His research emphasizes functional morphosyntax and the role of prosody in linguistic systems. Education: Ph.D. (University of Chicago, 1976), M.A. (1973), A.B. (Harvard, 1971) Affiliations: Department of Linguistics, Near Eastern Studies (UMich) Key Projects: Dogon Language Documentation Project, Tamashek (Tuareg) studies, Songhay grammar series Heath’s research interests span morphology, tonosyntax, and the historical development of African languages. His fieldwork in Mali has produced detailed grammars of Dogon languages, while his work on Moroccan Arabic explores language contact and borrowing. He has also contributed to the documentation of Songhay and Gur languages in West Africa. Grants and awards highlight his commitment to endangered language preservation, including NEH and NSF funding for Dogon and Songhay projects. His contributions to linguistic typology and historical morphology have influenced debates on morpheme renewal and syntactic change.

• Syntactic Variation
• Heritage Language Syntax
• Language Contact
• +6 more

Roberta D'Alessandro is a Professor of Linguistics/Syntax and Language Variation at Utrecht University's Department of Languages, Literature and Communication, and Head of the Linguistics section. She leads the research group 'Language Structure: Variation and Change' within the Institute for Language Sciences (ILS). Her work focuses on syntactic variation, heritage language syntax, and microvariation in Italo-Romance and Indo-Aryan dialects. She is editor-in-chief of Isogloss and Grammars and Sketches of the World's Languages/Romance , and president of Going Romance . Her research explores syntactic theory through heritage language data, language contact in migration contexts, and the syntax-phonology interface. Awards include the Knight of the Italian Republic (2014) and membership in the Global Young Academy (2014–2019). She coordinates EU policy initiatives and advises on ethical research practices. Education: Ph.D. in Linguistics (not explicitly stated, inferred from career) Grants: ERC Consolidator Grant (Microcontact Project), NWO VIDI (2010–2015), Marie Curie Fellowship (2005–2007) Recent work emphasizes ethical considerations in theoretical linguistics and the integration of fieldwork with formal syntactic analysis. She collaborates internationally, leading projects on endangered languages and linguistic microvariation.

Jenny ArendholzView profile

Senior Lecturer

• Grammar/Syntax
• Phonetics & Phonology
• (Interpersonal) Pragmatics
• +5 more

Dr. Jenny Arendholz is a Senior Lecturer at the Chair of English Linguistics, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU). She holds a PhD in English Philology (summa cum laude, University of Augsburg) and an M.A. in English Philology, Romance Philology, and Communication Science. Her research focuses on syntax, pragmatics, multimodality, computer-mediated communication (CMC), and discourse analysis. She coordinates ERASMUS+ student exchange programs, advising on UK visa requirements and funding. Professional activities include reviewing for journals like Pragmatics and presenting at international conferences such as the International Pragmatics Conference. Her teaching spans introductory linguistics courses to specialized seminars on syntax, phonetics, conversation analysis, and digital communication. She actively engages in linguistic fieldwork and intercultural training for study abroad programs. Recent publications explore mitigation strategies in online discourse, quotation pragmatics, and narrative structures in message boards. Key responsibilities include managing student exchange logistics, advising on language certification requirements for UK universities post-Brexit, and maintaining partnerships with institutions like the University of Leicester and King’s College London. She also oversees LMU’s ERASMUS International Option funding and promotes summer schools via partnerships with universities in the UK and Ireland.

Peter ArkadievView profile

Researcher

• Linguistics
• Morphology
• Syntax
• +10 more

Dr. habil. Peter Arkadiev is a prominent linguist specializing in morphology, syntax, and typology, with a focus on Baltic, Slavic, and Northwest Caucasian languages. He holds a research position at the University of Potsdam, Institute of Slavistics, funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) since December 2024. Previously, he held roles including Visiting Professor at the University of Mainz, Senior Fellow at the Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies, and Marie Curie Senior Fellow. His academic credentials include a Habilitation in typological linguistics (2019) and a PhD from the Russian State University for the Humanities (2006). Research Interests: - Language Typology and Cross-Linguistic Comparison - Areal Linguistics and Language Contact - Case Systems and Argument Structure - Tense-Aspect-Actionality - Morphological Complexity and Polysynthesis - Baltic, Slavic, and Northwest Caucasian Languages Awards: Member of Academia Europaea (2023), Professor of the Russian Academy of Sciences (2022), Marie Curie Senior Fellowship (2023–2024), and multiple DFG-funded projects. His work bridges theoretical linguistics with empirical fieldwork, particularly in the North Caucasus. Publications span over 30 peer-reviewed articles and edited volumes, focusing on topics like prefixal perfectivization, applicative constructions, and morphological borrowing. Current research includes the DFG-funded project 'Typology and Diachrony of Ambifixation' (2024–2027).

Maria Teresa GuastiView profile

Professor

• Pragmatics
• Bilingual Acquisition
• Developmental Language Impairment
• +8 more

Maria Teresa Guasti is a Professor of Linguistics and Psycholinguistics at the University of Milano-Bicocca. She has held academic positions since 1988, including Assistant Professor (2000-2005) and Researcher roles at institutions like the University of Siena and San Raffaele Hospital. Her research bridges theoretical linguistics, child language acquisition, and cognitive disorders like dyslexia and developmental language impairment (DLD). PhD in Linguistics, University of Geneva Guasti’s work focuses on syntax, semantics, and pragmatics in typical and atypical language development, with a special emphasis on bilingual acquisition, DLD, and dyslexia. She has contributed to understanding timing anticipation deficits in dyslexia and has expanded her research into musical cognition and motor control (handwriting). Recently, she collaborated with human-computer interaction scientists to develop language-based interactive technologies. Her publications span 160 works, including 80 peer-reviewed articles and 6 books, with over 7,000 citations and an H-index of 42. Key grants include the ERC Synergy (2019) and Multimind (2017-2022, €516,122). 2019 ERC Synergy Grant for Leibniz’s Dream (€10.2M) 2012-2018 Associate Investigator at ARC Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders 2005-2009 Italian Representative in European COST A33 Action Guasti has trained 14 PhD students, supervised 12 postdocs, and mentored 100+ master’s students. She has served as Associate Editor for Language Acquisition and Frontiers in Psychology , and on editorial boards including Journal of Child Language . She has delivered keynotes at international conferences and taught at summer schools.