Lex Konnelly
About
Hi, I'm Lex! I'm a linguist and social scientist in the tech industry. I hold a Ph.D. from the departments of Linguistics and Sexual Diversity Studies at the University of Toronto. I don't update this website as regularly now that I no longer work in academia, so if you'd like to connect with me, come find me on LinkedIn!
I have extensive experience with both quantitative and qualitative research methodologies. My primary research interests are situated in the areas of variationist sociolinguistics, sociocultural linguistics, and linguistic anthropology, with a particular emphasis on the intersections of language, gender, and identity. You can find out more about my ongoing projects here.
Research interests
Since my teenage years, advocacy has always been of great importance to me. As an activist, I have been drawn to the advances made by sociolinguistics in demonstrating the connections between language and social justice: it shows not only how powerful language can be as a communicative tool, but also the covert power structures that inform its use. I am excited by the capability of the field to challenge language ideologies and often, by consequence, the social ideologies from which they are inseparable. For these reasons, I am driven to explore the ways that sociolinguistics – and sociolinguists – can be agents for change.
In a general sense, I'm interested in linguistic innovation and advocacy in transgender, non-binary, and gender-diverse communities of practice from a variety of different perspectives, with a focus on stylistic variation and its material impacts in social interaction. I am especially interested in pursuing community-based, socially-grounded, and interdisciplinary approaches to my research questions, often drawing substantially from queer theory and trans studies. My side interests include the linguistic constructions of specialized commodities, particularly the language of craft beer.
Curriculum vitae
Konnelly_CV_November 2023.pdfContact
Department of Linguistics
Fourth floor, 100 Sidney Smith Hall
Toronto ON M5S3G3
a.konnelly [at] mail.utoronto.ca