Clay Beckner

Clay Beckner is an Associate Professor in Applied Linguistics at the University of Warwick. His research focuses on experimental psycholinguistics, morphosyntax, mechanisms of language change, iterated learning, and complex systems from a usage-based perspective. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of New Mexico (2013), where his thesis explored dynamic mental lexicon through experiments on multi-word 'prefabs'. From 2013-2018, he worked at the New Zealand Institute of Language, Brain & Behaviour, studying interspeaker alignment, iterated learning, and human-machine interaction. Recent work examines non-Māori speakers' implicit knowledge of Māori sound patterns through experimental studies in New Zealand.

His research interests include the interplay between language usage and structure across lifespans, diachronic processes, and social influences on linguistic systems. Key contributions address lexical representation, morphological variation, and the role of ambient exposure in language knowledge. He has collaborated extensively on projects involving iterated learning tasks, human-robot interaction, and cross-linguistic attractor dynamics.

Award details: No specific awards mentioned in the text.

Grants and advising: No explicit grant details provided. No listed advisees/students. His work often involves interdisciplinary teams, including studies with robots and cross-cultural language experiments.

Labs/Teams: Affiliated with the University of Warwick's Applied Linguistics program and previously the New Zealand Institute of Language, Brain & Behaviour.