Teaching & Advising

My teaching responsibilities generally include graduate courses in Language Acquisition and Sign Linguistics, and undergraduate courses in Sign Linguistics or general introductory linguistics. I am also actively involved in regular research/discussion groups with graduate students and faculty.

I am happy to advise Ph.D. students specializing in American Sign Language, other sign languages, or the acquisition of spoken languages.

I also welcome visiting students! Interested in coming to UConn for a few weeks, a semester, a summer, or a year? Contact me!

 

Research groups

SLRDG – Sign Language Research and Discussion Group

Fall 2024: Thursdays, 2:00-3:15 PM; online

This group welcomes all who are interested in discussing ongoing and recent research on sign languages. Meetings often include presentations on current work of the participants, or discussion of papers of interest. Participants include faculty and grad students in Linguistics, Psychological Sciences, Education, and other areas. Non-UConn affiliated attendees also welcome! Contact Eva Gan or me to be added to the email list for specific announcements.

 

Acqui Lab – Acquisition Lab Group

Fall 2024: Thursdays, 11-12:30; BOUS 161

This group welcomes all who are interested in discussing ongoing and recent research on language acquisition. Frequently graduate students discuss their current research projects or lead discussion of papers of interest. Contact me for more information.

 

Current Teaching

 

Fall 2024

Ling 5110 – Acquisition I

Wednesdays, 1:25-4:25 PM

Relationship between children’s language and linguistic theory.

 

Spring 2025

ASLN/LING 3800 – Structure of ASL

Tues/Thurs, 9:30-10:45

Linguistic analyses of American Sign Language focusing on the phonological, morphological, syntactic, and semantic levels.

*Prerequisite: Ling 2010Q OR ASLN 1102*

 

LING 6020 – Professional Methods

(TBD)

Preparation for academic job market: C.V.s, letters of application, interviews, job talks. Previous completion of three semesters of full-time graduate course work in Linguistics recommended.

 

Graduate Advisees

My current (co-)major advisees include:

Linghui (Eva) Gan

Chui-Yi (Maggie) Lee

Lydia Palaiologou

 

Students who have completed the Ph.D. under my (co-)supervision include:

Keiko Murasugi (1991). Noun Phrases in Japanese and English: A Study in Syntax, Learnability and Acquisition. University of Connecticut. Current affiliation: Nanzan University, Nagoya, Japan.

Carole Boster (1997). Processing and Parameter Setting in Language Acquisition: A Computational Approach. University of Connecticut.

Kazumi Matsuoka (1998). The Acquisition of Japanese Case Particles and the Theory of Case Checking. University of Connecticut. Current affiliation: Keio University, Tokyo, Japan.

Ronice Quadros (1999). Phrase Structure of Brazilian Sign Language. Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul. (co-supervisor). Current affiliation: Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil.

Kazuko Hiramatsu (2000).  Accessing Linguistic Competence:  Evidence from Children’s and Adults’ Acceptability Judgments. University of Connecticut. (co-supervisor). Current affiliation: University of Michigan, Flint MI.

Gaurav  Mathur (2000). Verb Agreement as Alignment in Signed Languages. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. (co-supervisor). Current affiliation: Gallaudet University, Washington DC.

Laurel LaPorte-Grimes (2001). The Syntax and Acquisition of Verbal Inflection. University of Connecticut.

Deborah Chen Pichler (2001). Word Order Variability and Acquisition in American Sign Language. University of Connecticut. Current affiliation: Gallaudet University, Washington DC.

Forrest David Braze (2002). Grammaticality, Acceptability, and Sentence Processing: A Psycholinguistic Study.University of Connecticut. University of Connecticut. Current affiliation: Haskins Laboratories, New Haven CT.

Maki Yamane (2003). On Interaction of First-Language Transfer and Universal Grammar in adult Second Language Acquisition: Wh-Movement in L1-Japanese/L2-English Interlanguage. University of Connecticut. (co-supervisor). Current affiliation: Kanagawa University, Japan.

Stephanie Berk (2003). Sensitive Period Effects on the Acquisition of Language: A Study of Language Development. University of Connecticut, Dept. of Psychology.

Sarah Felber (2004). Isolating the Grammar: Removing Extra-grammatical Effects from the Theory of Grammar Through Investigation of Grammatical Viruses. University of Connecticut. Current affiliation: University of Maryland University College.

Elaine Grolla (2005). Pronouns as Elsewhere Elements: Implications for Language Acquisition. University of Connecticut. Current affiliation: Universidade Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Bosook Kang (2005). Acquisition of  Language Particular Properties under Impoverished Input. University of Connecticut. (co-supervisor).

Natasha Rakhlin (2007). Semantic Manifestations of the Developing Theory of Mind. University of Connecticut. (co-supervisor). Current affiliation: Wayne State University.

Oksana Tarasenkova (2010). Acquisition of Agreement and Morphological Features within the Noun Phrase in Russian. University of Connecticut. Current affiliation: President/owner, iSPEAK; Kostroma, Russia.

Elena Koulidobrova (2012). When the Quiet Surfaces: ‘Transfer’ of Argument Omission in the Speech of ASL-English Bilinguals. University of Connecticut. (co-supervisor). Current affiliation: Central Connecticut State University.

Sandra Wood (2013). Degrees of Rootedness in Acquisition of Language:  A Look at Universal Grammar in Homesigners and Late Learners of Libras. University of Connecticut. Current affiliation: University of Southern Maine.

Lyn Tieu (2013). Logic and Grammar in Child Language: How Children Acquire the Semantics of Polarity Sensitivity. University of Connecticut. Current affiliation: University of Toronto.

Corina Goodwin (2016). English Morphological Development in Bimodal Bilingual Children: Deaf Children with Cochlear Implants and Hearing Children of Deaf Adults. University of Connecticut.

Vanessa Petroj (2020). Ignoring Language Barriers: Romanian-Serbian Code-Switching. University of Connecticut. (co-supervisor). Current affiliation: Bryn Mawr.

Karina Bertolino (2020). An Experimental Study on the Acquisition of Impersonals in Brazilian Portuguese. University of Connecticut. Current affiliation: Universidade Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Shengyun Gu (2023). Bimanual coordination: The non-dominant hand in Shanghai Sign Language. University of Connecticut. Current affiliation: Occidental College.