Yourdanis Sedarous

Yourdanis Sedarous is a Lecturer I in the Department of Linguistics at the University of Michigan, within the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA). Her primary research focuses on bilingualism, syntax, and psycholinguistics, exploring how bilingual speakers' cognitive representations of syntactic structures interact across languages. She employs experimental methods such as acceptability judgments, eye-tracking, and pupillometry to study processing complexity in bilingual communities. Her work bridges theoretical linguistics with empirical approaches, addressing topics like code-switching, A-bar movement, and the construct state in Egyptian Arabic.

Her research interests include syntax, psycholinguistics, and sociolinguistics, with a particular emphasis on the cognitive and linguistic mechanisms underlying bilingual grammars. She advocates for equitable and just linguistic methodologies, challenging traditional notions of 'nativeness' in language research. Her studies often involve Egyptian Arabic and English bilinguals, examining phenomena such as resumptive pronouns, island effects, and the syntax of code-switched sentences.

Dr. Sedarous has contributed to the revitalization of Creole languages and the decolonization of linguistic theory. Her experimental work combines offline and online measures to investigate grammatical knowledge and language use, emphasizing data-driven approaches. Though no specific grants or advising roles are noted, her research has implications for linguistic theory and language education. Her work is housed within the Department of Linguistics at U-M, where she also maintains an active personal website.