As we finish up another term, it is a fitting time to celebrate the brilliant research output from students in the School of Linguistics and Language Studies.
Earlier this month, the graduate students’ Society for Applied Linguistics and Discourse Studies (SALaDS) hosted their 19th Annual Graduate Student Symposium in St. Patrick’s Building. The event brought students, faculty, and staff together for an interactive poster session showcasing student research.
Ann-Sophie Boily, a PhD student and member of the organizing committee for the symposium, delivered a warm opening address to kick off the event, followed by Michael Rodgers, the Director of the School of Linguistics and Language Studies, who continued the welcoming remarks.
Ann-Sophie Boily (left) and Michael Rodgers (right) delivered opening remarks at the 19th Annual Graduate Student Symposium on April 5, 2024
Hyounjeong Yoo received the 2024 Lynne Young ALDS Graduate Award at the 19th Annual Graduate Student Symposium on April 5, 2024
Dr. Trudy O’Brien, a long-time friend and colleague of Lynne Young, shared a touching tribute to Young before announcing the recipient of the 2024 Lynne Young ALDS Graduate Award, PhD student and Korean language instructor Hyounjeong Yoo.
The award, which recognizes academic excellence at the graduate level, was established in 2019 in memory of Young to honour her many contributions to SLaLS and her community.
Read more in “2024 Lynne Young ALDS Graduate Award Recipient Announced.”
Following a fascinating keynote presentation by Professor Marie-Odile Junker, guests were invited to wander the room and learn more about the graduate student research projects.
Topics ranged from the impact of virtual reality on language education to the journey of Arabic-speaking female Muslim teachers in adult ESL education. Students shared research on phrasal verb acquisition through technology-mediated instruction, discussed findings from a discourse study of legal texts in a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling on abortion rights, and presented results from an English for specific purposes (ESP) genre investigation of research participant recruitment posters.
PhD student Dima Zaid-Kilani shared her research titled “Resilience and Persistence: Unveiling the Journey of Arabic-Speaking Female Muslim Teachers in Adult ESL Education” at the 19th Annual Graduate Student Symposium on April 5, 2024
“It was such an academically rewarding experience to attend the Graduate Student Symposium,” shares Michael Rodgers.
“We experienced the full range of the academic journey, from Professor Junker’s engaging talk to the up-and-coming research presented by the students.”
The student research events continued with the Third Annual Linguistics Graduate Student Conference, which took place in Dunton Tower on April 11. This year, the theme of the conference was linguistics, language documentation, and revitalization.
“The conference featured five talks on a wide variety of topics, ranging from sound change to AI-generated maps,” Professor Lev Blumenfeld notes. “An audience of students and faculty engaged in lively discussion.”
Hamideh presented her research at the 3rd Annual Linguistics Graduate Student Conference on April 11, 2024
The student research events concluded with the Honours Thesis Conference on April 12.
“One of the really exciting things about the conference is seeing the wide range of research done by students here in SLaLS,” shares Professor Karen Jesney, Undergraduate Advisor for the Linguistics and Applied Linguistics and Discourse Studies programs.
“This year’s students have done excellent work, and it’s wonderful to see everything come together.”
Students shared their research on a number of fascinating topics ranging from the viability of shey and other neopronouns in English to the impact of testing retrieval vs. recognition on new word learning. They shared their investigations of babbling, first words, and continuity, and their findings on bilingual autistic children’s use of internal state terms.
“I’m deeply impressed by the work that the students shared,” says Kimberley Seguin, the Undergraduate and Administrative Assistant for the School of Linguistics and Language Studies. “These projects showcased a remarkable display of intellectual curiosity and dedication.”
“It’s rewarding to witness students coming together to share knowledge and connect over research,” notes Alex Ethier, who is fulfilling the role of Acting Graduate Administrator.
“It’s great to see the positive impact of sharing research within the SLaLS community.”
Students interested in pursuing undergraduate or graduate research opportunities are encouraged to speak with the Undergraduate Advisor or the Graduate Supervisor. Get started by contacting SLALSUndergraduate@carleton.ca for undergraduate inquiries, and SLALSGraduate@carleton.ca for graduate inquiries.