معرفی
Annie Holtz is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Edinburgh's School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences, within the Linguistics and English Language department. She holds a PhD in Linguistics from the same institution, supervised by Professors Jennifer Culbertson and Simon Kirby. Her work focuses on understanding how cognitive pressures in language learning and communication shape typological patterns, particularly in phonotactics and noun phrase structures. She is currently involved in an ESRC-funded project investigating phonotactic constraints and communication dynamics.
Her research employs experimental methods to explore adult and child language learning, emphasizing how pressures like ambiguity resolution and communicative efficiency influence linguistic systems. She has also contributed to methodological critiques in language acquisition studies, addressing biases such as the 'female-talker default' in experimental design. Holtz’s interdisciplinary approach spans syntax, phonology, and evolutionary linguistics, with a particular interest in the interplay between cognitive biases and linguistic universals.
Her articles highlight trends in analyzing cross-linguistic variation through controlled experiments, with recent work focusing on word order preferences and the role of innovation in shaping language structure. She has presented globally at conferences like EvoLang and CogSci, and her scholarly contributions are published in journals like Glossa and conference proceedings such as ConSOLE.
Holtz has collaborated with leading institutions and researchers, including the Centre for Language Evolution (CLE) at Edinburgh. Her academic journey includes undergraduate work at the University of Edinburgh and early investigations into phonological segmentation in infant-directed speech. Beyond academia, she is an avid hiker and advocate for outdoor education, reflecting her Swedish roots and appreciation for Scotland's natural landscapes.
