Christopher M. Hammerly

Christopher M. Hammerly is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Linguistics at the University of British Columbia, directing the Experimental Linguistics and Fieldwork Lab (ELF-Lab). He holds a PhD from UMass Amherst and dual undergraduate degrees from the University of Minnesota in Linguistics and Psychology. His research focuses on morphosyntax, psycholinguistics, and the revitalization of Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwe), leveraging computational tools and experimental methods. Key projects include developing speech synthesis systems for Indigenous languages and creating participatory educational technologies. His work bridges formal linguistic theory with applied language revitalization efforts, emphasizing community collaboration.

Education:

• PhD in Linguistics, University of Massachusetts Amherst (2020)
• BA in Linguistics, University of Minnesota (2014)
• BS in Psychology, University of Minnesota (2014)

Research interests integrate cognitive and formal approaches to syntax and morphology, particularly exploring how linguistic units like person/number systems participate in long-distance dependencies. He actively applies linguistic research to build curricula and technologies for language preservation, collaborating with Indigenous communities to ensure culturally responsive solutions.

Recent work includes advancements in multilingual speech synthesis, low-resource machine translation for Ojibwe verbs, and participatory design frameworks for Indigenous language education tools. His talks emphasize bridging computational linguistics with community-based language revitalization, such as presenting at the University of Colorado Boulder on integrated learning platforms for Border Lakes Ojibwe.