March 2011 - BULA - ling.bu.edu lists

BULA's Upcoming Events!
by Lara Bryfonski 30 Mar '11

30 Mar '11

Hello again fellow linguists! BULA will be having several events this April you won't want to miss! General Meeting and English Dialects Discussion: April 6th @7pm in CAS B20 Join us for our General Meeting at 7 pm, where we'll be doing Officer Selection for the coming academic year. If you are interested in getting involved this is your opportunity to join the e-board and help organize fun and educational Linguistic events for the entire BU Community. We're a small group, but we have a strong foundation of committed individuals! Students planning to spend a semester abroad next year are also welcome to apply. After the meeting, we'll have our monthly discussion group. This month's theme is "Dialects of English." This includes North American, British, South African, and many other parts of the world. Think about what makes your dialect unique - do you drink soda, pop, or coke? Do you like jimmies or sprinkles on your ice cream? Do you pronounce "cot" and "caught" differently? RSVP on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=101360183283469) and take a look at our traditional JP Licks treat you could enjoy! Bert Vaux Lecture on Linguistic Profiling: April 12 @ 7pm KCB (565 Comm Ave) Room 101 Recent scientific studies have shown that humans are able to reliably identify features such as gender, race, age, and even sexual orientation from just a short sample of speech. (Test subjects also consistently infer attributes such as height, intelligence, attractiveness, and reliability from speech samples, but the accuracy of these inferences has not been investigated.) Such judgments have further been shown to influence individuals' decisions in matters of social import such as housing applications and legal trials. In this talk Vaux will survey the range of such effects, consider how and why the human brain is able to draw such inferences so accurately and quickly, and ask what (if anything) can be done to combat their harmful effects, given that linguistic profiling happens automatically and subconsciously. RSVP on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=101360183283469#!/event.php?eid=19976…) Sponsored by the BU Linguistics Association (BULA) with support from the CAS Academic Enhancement Fund. Followed by a reception. See the Event Flyer. (http://www.bu.edu/linguistics/UG/Vaux2011.pdf) Vaux will also be giving a lecture sponsored by The James Geddes, Jr. Lecture Series on April 13 @ 1 pm also in Room 101 titled "What is happening to American and World English?" In this talk Vaux present results from four surveys of almost 100,000 English speakers across the world that he has conducted over the past eight years. These results suggest that regional differences are alive and well in all components of the English language, and that British rather than American English features still dominate on the world scene. Hope to see you all at these events! Check out bula.bu.edu for more information!

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Harvard Undergraduate Linguistics Colloquium: Pre-register now!
by Paul Hagstrom 29 Mar '11

29 Mar '11

The Harvard Undergraduate Linguistics Colloquium is coming up soon (Saturday April 9th and Sunday April 10th). The important thing to note right now is: FRIDAY (April 1) is the pre-registration (RECEIPT) deadline. If you're planning on going, you'll want to register by then. It's $20 if you do, and $25 if you pay at the door. They want you to mail a check, so you'll need to get that in the mail tomorrow or Thursday. The link to the pre-registration form is on the Havard LinG website: http://www.hcs.harvard.edu/~ling/ http://tinyurl.com/hulc2011prereg Two of our own students (Lara Bryfonski and Henrison Hsieh) will be presenting at the colloquium, although I don't have the full schedule yet. The keynote speaker will be Ted Gibson from MIT, talking about "The communicative basis of word order", and the talks will run from about 10am to 4pm. http://bcs.mit.edu/people/gibson.html Also: We are looking into whether we can subsidize some of the registration fees for BU students who would like to attend. No guarantees yet, but we hope to be able to reimburse at least part of the registration fees. So that we have an idea of how many people are going, please let me know if you have already pre-registered, or if you do pre-register before Friday. It should be fun, go if you can, pre-register if you can, and let me know if you pre-register. -Paul

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[BULA] Yves Morin lecture (about Geddes, French dialectology) 4:15pm
by Paul Hagstrom 28 Mar '11

28 Mar '11

Hello BULA -- just a reminder of this afternoon's lecture (Stone B50, 4:15pm) by Prof. Yves Morin (UdeM), who will be talking about the contributions that BU's own James Geddes, Jr., made to French dialectology and studies of North American French. It'll be interesting to hear who this Geddes guy was, and there'll be good linguistic stuff about studying dialects and the relationship between Québec French and European French. Come if you can, it should be interesting. -Paul

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4 post-BA research positions at U Maryland
by Paul Hagstrom 12 Mar '11

12 Mar '11

Hi everyone. Just received word that the Linguistics department at the University of Maryland, College Park, has four full-time research positions open for next year for recent graduates. So, if you're about to graduate, or recently graduated (and are still reading the BULA mailing list), or know someone who has recently graduated that you can tell about it, take a look. (And even if you're still a ways away from graduating, observe that these kinds of opportunities come up -- in fact, UMD has this sort of research position available fairly regularly, so it wouldn't surprise me if we get a similar announcement next year too.) -Paul -------------------------------------------------------------- Please post: FOUR Post-Bac Research Positions at U of Maryland -------------------------------------------------------------- The Department of Linguistics at the University of Maryland, College Park, is looking to fill up to FOUR full-time positions for post-baccalaureate researchers. Starting date for all positions is Summer or Fall 2011. Salary is competitive, with benefits included. The positions would be ideal for individuals with a BA degree who are interested in gaining significant research experience in a very active lab as preparation for a research career. Applicants must be US or Canadian citizens or permanent residents, and should have completed a BA or BS degree by the time of appointment. Previous experience in an area related to the positions is required, and relevant research experience is preferred. Applicants may request to be considered for all four positions. Review of applications for all positions will begin immediately, and will continue until the positions are filled. For best consideration for positions #1-#3, completed applications should be received by April 21st. Positions #1-#2: Baggett Research Fellowships 2011-2012 One-year Baggett Fellowships are full-time positions intended for individuals with a BA or BS degree who are interested in gaining significant research experience in an active interdisciplinary environment before pursuing graduate study in some area of linguistics or cognitive science. Fellows can pursue research with one or more faculty mentors in linguistics, cognitive (neuro-)science of language, or computational modeling of language. One or two fellowship positions are available for the 2011-2012 year. Positions are for one year and are not renewable. Salary is competitive, with benefits included. Contact person: Dr Naomi Feldman, nhf(a)umd.edu. Further details, including faculty mentor list, at: http://www.ling.umd.edu/baggett Position #3: Research Assistant in Psycholinguistics/Cognitive Neuroscience This person will take a leading role in research projects in psycholinguistics and cognitive neuroscience of language. The person will be involved in all aspects of the design, testing and analysis of studies of language comprehension in adults, using behavioral and neuroscientific techniques, including ERP and MEG brain recordings (training provided). The person will also play a key role in the management of an active lab group and will contribute to Maryland's IGERT training program in Language Science (http://languagescience.umd.edu). Previous experience in linguistics and/or psycholinguistics is preferred. The ability to interact comfortably with a wide variety of people (and machines) is a distinct advantage. The position is for a one year initial appointment, with the possibility of extension beyond that time. For more information contact Dr Colin Phillips, colin(a)umd.edu, http://www.ling.umd.edu/colin. Application requirements are the same as for the Baggett Fellowships. Position #4: MEG Laboratory Manager This person will play a leading role in the operation of a magnetoencephalography (MEG) facility that is housed within the Dept of Linguistics and serves researchers from many departments, for studies on language, vision, memory, reading, audition, and kinesiology. The person will be trained as an expert user of the facility, will help to guide and train other users, will coordinate and enhance resources for the experimental paradigms in use in the lab, and will manage the smooth daily operation of the lab. The person will also have opportunities to participate in and/or lead research projects, and participate in a range of other intellectual activities in language and cognitive neuroscience. Previous laboratory experience is preferred, and the ability to interact comfortably with a wide variety of people and technologies is strongly preferred. Prior experience with MEG or other electrophysiological techniques is NOT required. The position is for a one year initial appointment, with the possibility of extension beyond that time. For more information contact lab co-directors Dr Colin Phillips (Linguistics, colin(a)umd.edu) or Dr Jonathan Simon (Electrical Engineering, jzsimon(a)umd.edu). Applicants are the same as for the Baggett Fellowships. Applicants for any of the 4 positions should submit a cover letter outlining relevant background and interests (including potential faculty mentors), a current CV, and the names and contact information for 3 potential referees. Letters are not needed as part of the initial application. Applicants should also send a writing sample. All application materials should be submitted electronically. Positions #1-#2 - Naomi Feldman (nhf(a)umd.edu). NOTE: Put "Baggett Fellowship" in the subject line. Positions #3-#4 - Colin Phillips (colin(a)umd.edu). NOTE: Put "Research Assistantship" in the subject line. Prospective applicants should fel free to send a preliminary letter of interest to Dr Feldman or Dr Phillips. =========================================================== The Department of Linguistics at the University of Maryland is committed to an interdisciplinary approach to the science of language. Its members are engaged in research on a wide variety of areas of language, ranging from acoustics to semantics, in children and adults, normal and disordered populations, and covering many different languages. The department's Cognitive Neuroscience of Language Lab is a large shared resource that incorporates facilities for behavioral testing of infants, children and adults, two eye-tracking labs, an ERP lab and a whole-head MEG facility. The department plays a leading role in the university's vibrant language science community, which numbers 200 faculty, researchers, and graduate students across 10 departments, and is affiliated with the Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program and the new Maryland Neuroimaging Center. http://www.ling.umd.edu/ http://languagescience.umd.edu The University of Maryland is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunities Title IX employer. Women and minority candidates are especially encouraged to apply.

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Discussion Group Tomorrow
by Lara Bryfonski 07 Mar '11

07 Mar '11

Discussion Group on Internet Language and Emoticons: Tomorrow (3/8) 7pm @ 621 Comm. Ave Room: B02 FYI, BULA is having an informal roundtable discussion on txttlk and how it's omg important. Whether you're using abbrevs to make ur friends tots jealz, make you roflmao, or make you ragequit from every chat window, come and let us know how you feel. Tbh we're really excited, and we hope to see everyone there! kthxbai! Translation: Please come to BULA’s second monthly discussion group! This Tuesday we’ll be discussing the use of Internet language and emoticons to express meaning. This could be anything from the abbreviations like the ones above, to the differences between :-) :’-( ;-) and <3. Last month’s discussion generated lots of interesting conversation so we hope you’ll join us tomorrow! Facebook Group: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=147725051955582&index=1 Bula.bu.edu

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Reminder: Linguistics Extravaganza today
by Paul Hagstrom 01 Mar '11

01 Mar '11

Hello, BULA list. Just a reminder about today's "Linguistics Extravaganza" from 4-6pm in STH 325. Come hear about study abroad programs, the Linguistics major, minor, and joint Linguistics & Philosophy major. And hang out, chat, and consume refreshments. (Also, to re-iterate: it's in STH (School of Theology) 325, not in the Linguistics building.) See you there! -Paul You are invited to a Linguistics Extravaganza on Wednesday, March 2, 2011 in School of Theology (STH) room 325. http://www.bu.edu/linguistics/UG/Ling_OH11.pdf We'll begin at 4 PM with an information session on study abroad programs of particular interest to students of linguistics (including reports about Dresden, Geneva, Haifa, Istanbul, Paris, Quito, Rabat, Burgos, and Madrid). Then, the Open House (including further discussion about study abroad programs, for those who are interested) will continue from 4:30 to 6:00, with plentiful conversation, information, and (last but not least) refreshments. Please come and bring your friends! Feel free to forward this information to others who may be interested in learning more about Linguistics, and Linguistics & Philosophy, at BU. This is also a Facebook event: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=202706453078081 We would really appreciate Facebook RSVP's -- so we can be sure to have enough refreshments :-) Hope to see you on March 2. best wishes, Carol Neidle carol(a)bu.edu

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