Member Spotlights

'There is still so much we don’t know about language and how it interacts with culture, politics, art', Living Language alumna Q&A

Sign up for a 2021 registration alert!   Learning to work and collaborate on an interdisciplinary team in the Living Language course has been indispensable to Paris Gappmayr's graduate education. Gappmayr took the course in 2019, and is now a doctoral student in Speech, Language,…

LangSci After Grad: Finding your niche outside your department, Dr. Jennifer Abel

LangSci After Grad is a new series interviewing graduate and post-doctoral alumni with language sciences qualifications about their transition from academia to employment, written by AJ Orena Working for the UBC Research Commons while completing a Linguistics PhD helped Dr. Jennifer Abel find…

'We can work with language towards a more just society', Living Language alumni Q&A

Language can be used by humans to work towards a more just society. That's just one of the many things Jewel Goodwin learned in the Living Language: Science and Society course in 2020. A recent Speech Sciences graduate, Jewel shares her thoughts on the course and advice for students considering…

LangSci After Grad: From PhD to language coach for First Nations languages, Dr. Sonja Thoma

Langsci After Grad is a new series interviewing graduate degree and post-doctoral alumni with language sciences qualifications about their transition from academia to employment, written by AJ Orena Dr. Sonja Thoma first became interested in language documentation and revitalization while…

Why so Siri-ous? Striving to create natural voice agents

Concerned about your toddler not talking? Here are some expert tips and resources for parents

If your toddler isn’t talking, there could be a number of reasons. Expert resources and support are available to help children reach their full potential. On World Autism Awareness Day (April 2nd), Language Sciences member Dr. Paola Colozzo, an Associate Professor in the School of Audiology and…

Adopted by Tlingit, descended from Mohawk: how learning Lingít helped UBC student discover her history and strive for a future of reciprocal, respectful research

When the Tlingit community adopted UBC student Éedaa Heather Burge, she was brought in from the cold. Studying the language in Juneau, Alaska, that could be taken literally, but the Lingít phrase for adoption ‘A tóot ajeewatán’ means to take someone’s hand and bring them inside. Her adoptive…

How to talk to people about climate change

Pithy Papers: The influence of gesture, adult porcine cochlea, and translator identity

Welcome to the second instalment of Pithy Papers, where we highlight important and interesting research in the last three months by members from our three research themes, in 150 words or fewer. Find out how gesture influences communication, why it's important that adult porcine…

Eight tips to communicate better while wearing a face mask