Breaking down -er Nominalizations in Montana Salish (LSA 2020)
Abstract: In this paper I present analyses of the various agent/instrument nominalization processes in Montana Salish. These are processes used to derive nouns describing the people or objects that perform a verb from the verb being performed. The processes I describe are analogous to -er nominalizations in English, and all the nouns I discuss could be translated as -er nouns.
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The Internal Structure of Montana Salish Instrumental Nominals (ICSNL 54)
Abstract: In this paper I will discuss a novel analysis of instrumental nominalization patterns in Montana Salish. This language has three primary mechanisms which can be used to derive nouns depicting tools from the verb the tool is used to perform. The verb may be suffixed with - min (INST1), -tn (INST2), or with both, in the order -min-tn. The primary semantic difference between these two forms is in the semantic function of the tool’s possessor. When -min nominals are marked with a possessor, the possessor DP is interpreted as the owner of the tool, but when -tin or -min-tn tools are marked with a possessor, that possessor is interpreted as the patient of a tool. In this paper I describe how, by breaking down each of these suffix complexes into their component parts, the appropriate interpretation for the possessor may be derived.
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Laughing with Letters: A Corpus Comparison of English Written Laughter Expressions on Twitter (ADS 2019)
Abstract: In this presentation I will discuss some similarities and differences between the use of nine English Written Laughter Expressions (WLEs) on Twitter. These forms are members of three different categories of WLEs: onomatopoeia (haha, hehe, tehe), acronyms (lol, lmao, lmfao), and emoji (😂, 🤣, 😆). I use quantitative techniques to compare and contrast the conversational use of WLEs from each of these groups and evaluate the unique meanings associated with each in order to establish a tentative typology of written laughter. Some criteria examined include positioning within the tweet, use in replies as opposed to non-replies, and gendered use patterns.
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Transitive Subjects as Adjuncts in Montana Salish (LSA 2019)
Abstract: In this presentation I argue that verbal arguments marked with the “oblique" marker t in Montana Salish are adjunct prepositional phrases. When the verb in this language is morphologically transitive the transitive subject is marked with t. I will argue that this t is a preposition much like the English by, used to license DPs into the syntax which are not syntactically licensed by the verb, 233 because t is used elsewhere for this purpose and because focused t-phrases produce complementizer agreement patterns they are adjuncts. Finally, I suggest that all transitive verbs in this language are passives.
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What is Linguistics? (Designed for high school math class)
Abstract: This presentation introduces the field of linguistics at a high school level. As this was prepared for an algebra class, it includes some examples in which math is used in linguistic analysis. Specifically, this presentation includes an example of a corpus analysis of written laughter words that seeks words that are more likely to co-occur with one written laughter expression than another.
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Lol to חחח: A Cross-linguistic Corpus Analysis of Written Laughter on Twitter (IPrA 2017)
Abstract: By comparing the conversational distributions of various forms of written laughter (haha, lol, ) on Twitter in two linguistic traditions, English and Hebrew, I argue that at least some forms of written laughter do not merely derive from spoken forms of laughter, but indeed perform a parallel function in written conversation to that performed by physical laughter in spoken conversation. Though this project will briefly review the qualitative arguments from previous literature which could be used to argue that written laughter and physical laughter perform a similar meaning function, this project examines, statistically, the locations and contexts in which each of the written laughter words under examination occur in conversation.
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Multilingualism and Linguistic Attitudes in Northern Malawi (ALC 2017)
Abstract: In this talk, I will describe various aspects of the multilingual situation Chitipa district of Northern Malawi. I will begin with a brief description of the influence the district’s history and its modern socio-political organization, including education policy, has had both on the distribution of the languages present and on speakers’ attitudes towards and use of those languages. Following this, I will focus in on more language-specific attitudes, specifically as regards dialects of Chinyika/Chinyiha and Chindali. Though the majority of the information presented will be compiled from various published sources, some portion of what I will describe will come from recent field interviews conducted in Chisenga, a village in the southern portion of Chitipa.
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