I am trying to get better at updating my website regularly! A great deal has happened since I last posted an update on here. Some highlights:
April 2022 – HSP presentation – “It’s alive!”: Animacy-based structural expectations rapidly update with context – A short talk on parsing effects from contextually-animate inanimate nouns, with Stephanie Rich (first author), Lalitha Balachandran, Jack Duff, Matthew Kogan, Nick Van Handel, and Matt Wagers.
April 2022 – Graduate symposium – Sounds of Dille’ Xhonh Laxup: Tonal fieldwork with Santiago Laxopa Zapotec – A brief presentation as part of UCSC’s 2022 Graduate Research Symposium.
June 2022 – QP1 defense – Cross-linguistic patterns of sonorant devoicing as evidence for [spread glottis] and [voice] in sonorants – I defended my qualifying paper on the laryngeal features of sonorant consonants.
July 2022 – Fieldwork and fiesta in Laxopa – I had the opportunity to travel to the Sierra Norte of Oaxaca to work in the community of Santiago Laxopa. My colleague, Myke Brinkerhoff, and I worked with community members on our phonological and phonetic research, as well as some narrative videos which we hope to make available online soon. I also had the incredible opportunity to play flute with the band during their fiesta. See below for photos.
August 2022 – Fieldwork and catching up in Ixim Ulew – After Guelaguetza in Oaxaca, I traveled to Guatemala to reconnect with friends and colleagues in Tzununá, San Pedro La Laguna, and Xela. I was able to do some fieldwork, but it was mostly just amazing to be back in one of my favorite places, catching up with people I care about.
January 2023 – SSILA Organized Session – Engaging the Community:
Using Field Methods Classes for Community Outreach – Along with colleagues from language communities, UCSC, and UCSB, I co-organized this special session at the 2023 SSILA annual meeting. Information, slides, and materials from the tutorials can be found at our website.
Continued work with Nido de Lenguas and Senderos – I have continued to work with Nido de Lenguas, tabling at local Senderos events, such as the Santa Cruz Día de los Muertos and Guelaguetza celebrations. I have also continued playing with Senderos’ Ensemble Musical, including recently at UCSC Indigifest.
Remembering Lenore Wax – My grandmother, long-time roommate, mentor, friend, and inspiration, Lenore Wax, passed away April 22, 2022 in our home in Santa Cruz. You can read more about this incredible woman on her memorial webpage. When I first got my digital recorder as an inspiring fieldworker, I practiced recording by interviewing my grandmother about her life, and I am so grateful I did that. I highly recommend using your skills to document those you love.
