Linguistics

A picture of a woman with long brown hair, glasses, and a red shirt with a light pink dress posing beside a poster board.

Indigenous Language Revitalization a Top Priority for Linguistics Student

November 1, 2023

As a Linguistics major with a minor in Indigenous Studies, Mikayla Thompson has a passion for Indigenous language revitalization and is a proud descendant of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. Her journey highlights the enduring power of ancestral connections and the unwavering commitment to safeguard the languages that shape identity.Born and raised in Michigan, Thompson’s early years were devoid of…

AAHD / African American and African Studies / English / Faculty / Linguistics / Religious Studies / Staff / Theatre

College Welcomes New Faculty and Staff

September 19, 2023

The College of Arts & Letters welcomes 45 new full-time faculty and staff members this Fall 203 Semester. These faculty and staff members were recognized during the 2023 Faculty and Staff Welcome Reception, which was held on Sept. 18.

Award / Linguistics / News / Scholarship / Student

Department of Linguistics, Languages, and Cultures Hosts Annual Award Ceremony

May 3, 2023

The Department of Linguistics, Languages, and Cultures (LiLaC) hosted its annual awards ceremony on April 28 to honor its students for their outstanding work during the 2022-2023 academic year. In her opening remarks, Yen-Hwei Lin, Chair of the LiLaC Department, stated that this event is always a precious and happy moment where the department can celebrate the students’ hard work…

Award / Linguistics / News / Student / Theatre

2023 Varg-Sullivan Endowed Graduate Awards Presented

April 18, 2023

This year’s winners of the Varg-Sullivan Endowed Graduate Awards are Mona Jahani, MFA Candidate in Theatre Design, the Outstanding Achievement in the Arts recipient, and Naiyan Du, Ph.D. Candidate in Linguistics, the Outstanding Achievement in the Letters recipient. The Varg-Sullivan Endowed Graduate Awards, presented by the College of Arts & Letters at Michigan State University, were established in honor of…

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion / Linguistics / News / Student

Linguistics Major Helps Rebuild LGBTQIA2S+ Student Organization from Ground Up

April 11, 2023

Linguistics major Ryan Peters has devoted much of his time to cultivating the LGBTQIA2S+ community at Michigan State University in his pivotal role as the Residence Halls Association (RHA) Representative for People Respecting the Individuality of Students at MSU (PRISM), which is the South Neighborhood LGBTQIA2S+ Caucus. He was first elected as the RHA Representative for PRISM during his first semester on campus.…

Award / Faculty / Faculty / Faculty Stories / International Impact / Linguistics / News

German Professor Awarded for Outstanding Service to Education Abroad

April 7, 2023

Elizabeth Mittman, Associate Professor of German in the Department of Linguistics, Languages, and Cultures at Michigan State University, is the 2023 recipient of the MSU Award for Outstanding Service to Education Abroad, which recognizes faculty and staff who give their time, energy, and creativity to the development and implementation of education abroad programs that support MSU's commitment to providing students with high-quality international education opportunities.…

Portrait of a person with a black shirt standing indoors, staring directly at the camera.

English / Linguistics / News / U.S. Impact

Doctoral Candidate Receives AAAL Graduate Student Award

March 14, 2023

J. Dylan Burton, a doctoral candidate in the Second Language Studies (SLS) Ph.D. program at Michigan State University, received a 2023 Graduate Student Award from the American Association for Applied Linguistics (AAAL). Each year, this merit-based award recognizes 20 students from across the country based on the quality of a written proposal for a poster or a paper. Burton’s primary research interests center around…

Faculty / Faculty / Faculty Stories / Linguistics / News / Research / Scholarship

Paula Winke Named Inaugural Arts & Letters Professor

January 17, 2023

Paula Winke, Professor in the Department of Linguistics, Languages, and Cultures (LiLaC) at Michigan State University, recently was named the inaugural Arts & Letters Professor recognizing her outstanding intellectual leadership and excellence in teaching. “It is a true honor to be the inaugural Arts & Letters Professor in the College of Arts & Letters,” Winke said. “This award is meaningful…

Faculty / Faculty / Grant / International Impact / Linguistics / News / Research / U.S. Impact

MSU Linguist Receives NSF Grant for Cutting-Edge Research in Word Pattern Recognition

December 19, 2022

Most people can recognize what words are real and which ones aren’t in the languages they know. However, sometimes a nonsense word might sneak through, especially when the word sounds and looks a lot like a legitimate one. Karthik Durvasula, Associate Professor in the Department of Linguistics, Languages, and Cultures at Michigan State University, is delving further into “wordlikeness judgments”…

MSU Students presenting at the Breslin Center

Linguistics / Nonprofit, Education, and Social Impact / Publishing, Editing, and Authorship / Research / Student / Visual Arts, Arts Administration, and Performing Arts

College of Arts & Letters Students Earn First-Place Awards at UURAF

April 22, 2022

Three College of Arts & Letters students earned first-place awards for their presentations at Michigan State University’s 24th Annual University Undergraduate Research and Arts Forum (UURAF). The students are now among the other first-place winners who will be considered for the grand prize, which will be announced in June.  This year's UURAF was held at the Breslin Student Events Center.…