Lab Members

My research primarily focuses on early speech perception and the development of the lexicon. I am interested in how speech input affects the developing perceptual system and what types of information are useful in word learning. Currently I have two main, but related, research interests: 

Using speech to acquire language: This is my primary focus in which I examine the properties of speech that are useful to infants when learning their native language.

Sound symbolism in early development: I have been investigating whether sound symbolism can be used (or is used) as a tool in language development

What do you find exciting about being involved in research?
It is thrilling to find something new, even if it's small. My job is to come up with new ideas that add to a large puzzle.

What areas of linguistics interest you?
Infant speech perception - that is why I am a phonetician, phonologist, and a psycholinguist. I want to know what happens in the mind of an infant learning to understand other humans.

What are three hobbies you enjoy outside of research?

• biking

• keeping ducks

• looking at art

What is your favourite fact about infant language acquisition?
They start learning their language during the third trimester in utero - they don't hear much, though, just rhythms.

What areas of linguistics interest you?
I’m interested in first/ second language acquisition, bilingualism, language processing and language revitalization. 

What are your plans after graduation?
I would like to go to grad school and continue to learn about linguistics.

What are three hobbies you enjoy outside of school?
I like knitting, cooking and exploring the river valley. 

What areas of linguistics interest you?
Other than child language acquisition, I'm also interested in Bilingualism, especially how bilingual children grow up in a multicultural context like Canada and how their language identity impacts their self-identity and perceptions of the world around them. 

What are your plans after graduation?
I am planning on becoming a speech-language pathologist! In the future, I would also like to live in South Korea for a while to live with family and teach English there.

What are three hobbies you enjoy outside of school?
Outside of school, I enjoy hanging out with friends and family, travelling the world, and volunteering.

What is your favorite fact about infant language acquisition?
My favourite fact about infant language acquisition is that there are "language explosions" where children seem to learn words at an incredibly fast rate. Baby geniuses!

What do you find exciting about being involved in research?
I am fascinated by child language acquisition and how their little minds work. I hope to continue to gain more knowledge while I'm in the lab.

What areas of linguistics interest you?
I am interested in speech recognition and multilingualism.

What are three hobbies you enjoy outside of school?
Outside of school I love to draw, host family game night, and practice my faith.

Why do you think people should be excited about child language acquisition?
There is still so much left to learn about child language acquisition as not only are kids learning language from their parents but also the environment that surrounds them. This world is constantly changing with new techniques, new technology you never know what could help children in the future. I am just excited to find out.

What do you find exciting about being involved in research?                                

Research is exciting because there is endless knowledge to discover! There is always something new I can learn, so everyday is a new opportunity to grow.

What areas of linguistics interest you?

Infant speech perception, phonological development, lexical development, first/second language acquisition, sociocultural impacts on language learning.

What are three hobbies you enjoy outside of school?                                                                  

 I enjoy physical activity and sports like volleyball and skiing, travelling/exploring new places, and snuggling my cats and my dog!

Why do you think people should be excited about child language acquisition?

We were all infants at one point in time, yet as adults we can’t remember how we learned to speak our native language. I think it is so fascinating that we learn such an important and complex tool as babies before we even learn to walk. Communication is so important and necessary for humans because we are incredibly social, and I think it is exciting to learn more about how language and speech develop and how they are ingrained in us as a species.  

What do you find exciting about being involved in research?
Being able to be a part of something bigger! It’s exciting to be able to contribute some new knowledge to our world and to dive into areas that no one else has before.

What areas of linguistics interest you?
Child language acquisition, second language acquisition, and bilingualism

 What are three hobbies you enjoy outside of research?
I’ve always been a horse girl at heart, so I’ve been taking horseback riding lessons since I was seven years old. I also love biking through the River Valley in the summer and eating copious amount of ice cream (this activity is not seasonally-dependent).

What is your favorite fact about infant language acquisition?
We are literally learning language from the womb, and we have all kinds of systems in our brains that are working in our favour to help us learn our first language. An example of this is the mutual exclusivity bias, which leads to the tendency for children to associate only one word with each object they encounter. But there are certain circumstances where these mechanisms can be overridden, like if a child is being raised in a bilingual household. I guess this isn’t a specific fact, but I love how infants’ minds can have such strong innate systems that can still be flexible in the right circumstances.

Hello, I'm Rachel! I have a BA in Psychology and Linguistics with a certificate in Applied Social Science Research. As a bilingual child, I was always fascinated by language and communication; now, in the Little Magpies Lab, I am grateful to be able to pursue my interest in how children and infants learn and perceive language developmentally! I am very excited for the opportunity to be a part of meaningful research and hope that I am able to take part in more projects to come. 

Outside of the lab, I like to volunteer in my community, read, and cuddle my cats! 

I am looking forward to starting my graduate studies in the Speech Language Pathology Master's program at the U of A in Fall 2022! 

As a second language learner, I am always curious to understand how and why the conventional wisdom "the younger, the better" works.

 I am very excited to explore how young children "learn" language by using their environmental input, how bilingual children learn two languages, and how language affects our personalities and perceptions of the world. Outside the research, you can find me in taking a walk, traveling, and cooking.

Hi I’m Kirsten! I am currently working towards a bachelors degree with honours in linguistics, I am working in the lab this year for the first time as part of my directed research course. I have worked with kids at my dance studio and my moms school for quite a few years so I always knew I wanted to work closely with children and when I took my first linguistics course I was hooked! 

I am very interested in the language development in infants and am excited to see the progress of the studies I am working on. Once I am done my undergraduate degree I hope to get my masters degree in Speech Language Pathology and go on to work in elementary schools. Outside of school I am usually reading, at my dance classes or teaching preschool dance!

Hi, I'm Lydia! I have just finished up my Linguistics degree and have volunteered in the lab and studied as a LING375 and LING475 student. In the fall of 2020, I chose LING475 as my capstone course for a certificate in Applied Social Science Research. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to continue working in the Little Magpies Lab!

I am interested in all aspects of child language acquisition. I am currently working on a project that is focused on sound symbolism in early development. When I am not in the lab, you can find me cooking, working out or playing tennis for the UofA varsity team. 

I am very excited to have been accepted into the UofA master's program in Speech Language Pathology for Fall 2021!

Hi, I'm Aida! I graduated with a BA in Linguistics, and am excited to start graduate studies in the fall.  As a former ESL (English as a second language) student, I have always been fascinated by the intricacies of language acquisition. With my minor in Computing Science, I am also interested in finding new ways to conduct research using tech solutions. I am so grateful for the opportunity to apply both of these interests in the Little Magpies Lab; I am currently working on creating a web portal that can be used as a hub for multiple research needs!

When I'm not working on our lab projects, I can usually be found crocheting and cuddling with my cats!

Hi, my name is Taryn! As an undergraduate student majoring in Linguistics, I have completed two directed research courses with the Little Magpies Lab. I was also fortunate enough to receive the Roger S Smith Undergraduate Research Award in 2020, which allowed me to conduct an independent research project supervised by Dr. Archer. I am very excited and grateful for the opportunity to continue as a member of the lab! 

The project that I am working on focuses on differences in infant-directed speech across dialects of English, which is a topic that I have become very passionate about. Outside of the lab, I like to spend my free time volunteering, running, and getting ice cream (especially if it's pistachio).