Research

I am interested in language variation and change in both monolingual and multilingual communities. I have a particular interest in the linguistic and social correlates of language maintenance and shift. Below are brief descriptions of some of the projects that I  am currently working on. Click on the links to read more, and for recent publications, collaborators, and students who have worked on these projects.

Language variation and change in the context of language shift. Examines the linguistic and social causes and outcomes of language shift in minoritized language communities from a variationist perspective. My dissertation focused on language variation and change in a Garifuna community in Belize, and I have continued to work on Garifuna. 

Language variation and change in Indonesia. Work with Abby Cohn (Cornell University) and other collaborators, including Yanti (Atma Jaya Catholic University), and Thomas Pepinsky (Cornell University) on a project that examines language shift in Indonesia using survey and census data. 

The Rochester Accent Project (TRAP). An ongoing project to document features of the dialect of Rochester and the surrounding area (the Inland North dialect region) and to learn about the life, history and culture of Rochester as it relates to language change over time.

Our languages, our lives, and the global pandemic. How do disruptions in daily practices due to COVID-19 lockdowns affect language ecologies for multilingual students?

Grammar and Variation Lab meeting/reading group with Nadine Grimm