The Underlings

Call for Participants

2012-01-09T21:18:00.000-08:00

Welcome back to a new school year, everyone! I am posting a call for participants from a fellow linguistics undergraduate. I believe you can email her for a copy of the survey file.

Hi,

I am an undergraduate student here at UVic and I’m carrying out a study to see how speakers of English as a first language and speakers of English as an additional language differ in how they write their emails in order to inform the creation of academic email writing workshops. If you want to help me out, all you have to do is:

1. Read the letter of information below.
2. Fill out the attached survey and send it back to me (bkoneill@uvic.ca)
3. Submit 2-3 emails that you have sent to an instructor within the past year to me! (bkoneill@uvic.ca) Please ensure that all submitted emails are only your own messages and do not have copies of instructors’ responses attached.

Please do not respond to this post here, just send your responses directly to me.

Your help is greatly appreciated!
Brittney O'Neill

Participant Consent Form

Emailing in Style : A genre analysis of email communication of English as a first and additional language students.

You are invited to participate in a study entitled Emailing in Style that is being conducted by Brittney O’Neill.

Brittney O'Neill is an undergraduate student in the Department of Linguistics at the University of Victoria and a recipient of this year’s Jamie Cassels Undergraduate Research Award. You may contact her if you have further questions at bkoneill@uvic.ca.

This research is being conducted as a part of the Jamie Cassels Undergraduate Research Award. It is being conducted under the supervision of Dr. Li-Shih Huang. You may contact the supervisor at lshuang@uvic.ca or 250-885-0359

Purpose and Objectives
The purpose of this research project is to investigate the way in which speakers of English as a first language (EL1) and English as an additional language communicate with their instructors through email.

Research of this type is important because it will inform administration as to the potential value of academic email workshops, as well as enabling institutions and individuals to better understand the use of stylistic conventions in a developing communication medium.

Participants Selection
You are being asked to participate in this study because, as a student of the University of Victoria, you are likely to engage in email communications with an instructor.

What is involved
If you agree to voluntarily participate in this research, your participation will include the completion of the attached demographics survey as well as submitting 2-3 emails that you have sent to an instructor within the last year that you are willing to share, via email. Please ensure that all submitted emails are only your own messages and do not have copies of instructors’ responses attached.

Inconvenience & Risks
Participation in this study may cause some inconvenience to you, including ten minutes of time spent filling out the demographic survey. You are not required to supply any other materials that you would not normally have produced, and it is up to your discretion what you choose to submit to the researcher.

To prevent privacy risk, all data will be stored on a password protected computer and all identifying features (names, contact information, etc.) will be removed prior to analysis.

Benefits
The potential benefits of your participation in this research include contributing to increased understanding of communication conventions used in the developing communicative medium of email, as well as helping to inform the creation of academic email writing workshops/seminars/classes.

Voluntary Participation
Your participation in this research must be completely voluntary. If you do decide to participate, you may withdraw at any time without any consequences or any explanation. If you do withdraw from the study, your data will be removed from the study and erased.

Anonymity
In terms of protecting your anonymity, all identifying features of emails will be removed prior to analysis and only the principal researcher and your instructor will see the materials in their original form.

Confidentiality
Your confidentiality and the confidentiality of the data will be protected by coding to remove all personal or identifying features from emails, as well as storage on a password protected computer. No identifying information will be given during the dissemination of results.

Dissemination of Results
It is anticipated that the results of this study will be shared with others through a published article as well as various presentations at scholarly meetings including the JCURA Research Fair 2012.

Disposal of Data
Data from this study will be disposed of upon completion of the study by erasing all stored digital files after three years.

Contacts
Individuals that may be contacted regarding this study include Brittney O'Neill and Dr. Li-Shih Huang (see above for contact information). In addition, you may verify the ethical approval of this study, or raise any concerns you might have, by contacting the Human Research Ethics Office at the University of Victoria (250-472-4545 or ethics@uvic.ca).

Your submission of the attached demographics survey and any following emails indicates that you understand the above conditions of participation in this study, that you have had the opportunity to have your questions answered by the researchers, and that you agree to participate in this research project.

Demographic Information

(Please highlight /fill in the blanks)

1. Gender: M F Other

2. Age:

3. Student Status: Undergraduate Graduate (Masters / Doctorate)

4. Degree Program:

5. Major

6. Year: 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th

7. What Languages do you speak?:

8. Which is your first language(s)?:

9. How long have you been in Canada?:

10.Have you ever taken any of the following standardized tests?:

IELTS TOEFL OTHER (please specify):

a. If yes, please provide most recent score and the year you took the test.

i. Year:

ii. Score:

Research Forum, Co-op, and Executive Meeting

2011-09-21T23:54:00.000-07:00

On Thursday of this week there will be a Department Research Forum. Grad students and professors will be giving short presentations on some of their current research projects. It's a great way to learn about some possibilities for further academic studies in linguistics. I've attached a flier to this email, but the information is as follows:

Linguistics Department Research Forum
Thursday, September 22
11:30 am to 12:50 pm
David Strong Building C112

The deadline for humanities co-op applications is next Friday, September 30. If you think you may be interested in doing a co-op program you can visit the humanities co-op office in CLE D128. The application form can also be found online at http://www.uvic.ca/coopandcareer/studentsalumni/coop/programs/hfpw/.

We will be holding an informal executive meeting on Friday, September 23 at 11:30 am in Vertigo in the SUB. We will be discussing our plans for the coming semester and forming some committees. Everyone is welcome, and if you have any suggestions or requests for programming please come share them with us. We're hoping to get as much input as possible into the course union this year.

New School Year and Clubs day!

2011-09-12T19:52:00.000-07:00

The Underlings executive is happy to introduce you to the new chairs for the upcoming year: Alison Root and Erica Isomura. We are both very excited for what the new year has to bring and anticipate connecting with everyone in the department.

Clubs and Course Union days are coming up this week (Wed Sept 14 and Thurs Sept 15) and for the first time, we will be participating in the event with an Underlings/Linguistics information table. If you would come by to show your support for the department and the course union, we would really appreciate it. We are currently looking for more volunteers to help out with the interactive elements of our display. We promise free candy to all of our helpers! After Clubs and Course Union days, we will be organizing a doodle poll to arrange a weekly meeting time for study groups and word game afternoons.

Right now we are also looking for undergraduate students who would like to become more involved in the course union, specifically to fill the positions of Secretary and Treasurer. If you are interested in any way, please let us know.

If you have any ideas or suggestions for the course union, we'd love to hear them. We look forward to meeting everyone and hope to see you at Clubs day!

Grad Photo

2011-03-29T21:17:00.001-07:00

The grad photo will be taken at 11:15 on Friday, April 1. We'll gather at the fountain between 11 and 11:10, and then the photo will be taken at 11:15. Don't be late! If you're finished classes this April or during the summer, come to the photo and live on in the hallowed linguistics department halls.

2011-03-07T22:12:00.000-08:00

The UNDERLINGS are hosting a…

Linguistics Party!

For the WHOLE department and friends

Great food, great music, great people!

Featuring Chris Coey’s Band

“Flat Rabbit”

Saturday, April 2nd

6:30-11pm at Oaklands Community Centre

(1-2827 Belmont Avenue, off the #4 bus route)

$7 each

Ticket sale locations:

Tuesdays from 1:30-3:30 in Sub B024,

Wednesday, March 18 in the Clearihue lobby (times to be announced)

Or contact uvicunderlings@gmail.com

Hope to see you all there!

Graduating Class Photo

2011-03-07T22:11:00.001-08:00

This is a message for graduating students (those convocating in June 2011) only.
There is usually a picture taken of the graduating class for the Linguistics department. Susan has kindly offered to organize a time to do this.
If you are graduating in June 2011, please email Susan at ss@uvic.ca so she can start finding a date that works for the majority of people.

Spring 2011 Applied Linguistics Practicum Seminar Series

2011-02-25T15:25:00.000-08:00

Spring 2011 Applied Linguistics Practicum Seminar Series

Come out to our next talk in the series:
Bill Acton, Trinity Western University
So You Think You Can Dance (Your Way to Effective Pronunciation)?

Tuesday, March 1st, 2011
6:30 - 8:00 p.m.
Clearihue A308

Bill Acton teaches in the MA TESOL program at Trinity Western University.
Most of his research and publications over the past 30 years have focused
on the role of body movement in learning and teaching second language
pronunciation.

Meeting: Friday, March 4th at 4:30

2011-02-23T16:55:00.001-08:00

We will be having a meeting on Friday, March 4th at 4:30 in Clearihue A118.

Also, t-shirt orders have been extended until Friday, March 4th. So if you still want one, email me at uvicunderlings@gmail.com before March 4th with your order. Again, the cost is $25 and all monies must be received before your order can be placed.

And...the Underlings will be hosting an end-of-semester party on Saturday, April 2nd. Stay tuned for more details and information about tickets!

Applied Linguistics Practicum Seminar - Tuesday, Feb. 15th

2011-02-14T20:55:00.003-08:00

2011 Applied Linguistics Practicum Seminar Series
Tuesday, February 15th, 2011
6:30-8:00 pm -- Clearihue Room A308

THREE PERSPECTIVES ON EAL TEACHING IN VICTORIA
Mark Pomeroy (English Language Centre), Todd Kitzler, (Inter-Cultural
Association of
Greater Victoria), Scott Wilson (Global Village Victoria)
This is an informal panel discussion about English language teaching in
Victoria. Our three
panelists have a huge amount of teaching experience in Victoria, and are
here to share their
experience as language teachers in Victoria, introduce the schools where
they work, and talk
about the changes and trends they have seen in the industry in Victoria.
Bring your questions
about teaching EAL in Victoria!

Applied Linguistics Seminar

2011-02-07T22:23:00.001-08:00

2011 Applied Linguistics Seminar Series

Teaching the Social Applications of Language
Adrian Benedek
World ESL Tutors/AcademicEnglishHelp.com
Tuesday, Feb. 8th, 6:30-8:00 p.m., Clearihue A308

The seminar is framed in Psycholinguistics, and will discuss what, why,
how and when language is used as a tool for communication to convince an
audience. Mr. Benedek will include practical examples and exercises that
teachers can use.

Adrian Benedek is an ESL teacher and entrepreneur with over a decade of
teaching experience. A UVic graduate, he has published in developmental
psychology, and produces cutting-edge materials for ESL pedagogy. His
current focus is international academic English.

Bake Sale: Thursday, Feb. 10

2011-02-02T20:52:00.001-08:00

We will be having a bake sale on Thursday, Feb. 10 from 9:30-4:30 in the Clearihue lobby to raise money for our scholarship fund. If you are able to sit at the table, please go here http://doodle.com/7g6r7bedufgnzasd to sign up for a time. If you are able to bring some goodies to sell, they can be dropped off at the table from 9:30 onwards.
Also, we will be selling linguistics-themed Valentine's Cards at the bake sale. Next Tuesday's games afternoon (1:30-3:30 in SUB B024) will be used to make the cards so stop by if you'd like to help, or stop by the table to buy a card!

Study room: Mondays, 2:30-4:20 in Clearihue C116

2011-01-28T13:00:00.001-08:00

Hi Underlings,

Thanks to everyone who answered the survery about a study room. Based on majority vote and room availability, we have a study room on Mondays from 2:30-4:20 in Clearihue C116.
Students are welcome to drop-in to study and do homework together.

Movie Night!

2011-01-27T00:12:00.001-08:00

We will be having a movie night on Friday, February 4th, in the SUB in room B028 at 6 pm. We will be showing the movie "My Fair Lady." There will be popcorn, too!

Hope to see you all there!

Games Afternoons

2011-01-14T10:53:00.000-08:00

Games Afternoon will be held on Tuesdays. Rooms and dates are below. Please note that we have the room from 2:30-4:30 in January, and from 1:30-3:30 in February and March. If you can only make part of the afternoon, that's okay! Come for whatever portion you can.

Jan. 18, 25 - SUB B110b booked 2:30pm - 4:30pm

Feb. 1, 8, 15 - SUB B024 booked 1:30 - 3:30pm

March 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 - SUB B024 booked 1:30 - 3:30pm

First meeting of this semester: Friday Jan 14, 2011

2011-01-09T18:03:00.001-08:00

The first meeting of this semester will be held on Friday, Jan 14 in Clearihue Building C111 at 4:30. Hopefully it won't be too long! Hope to see you all there.

Bake Sale: Wed. Nov 24

2010-11-17T15:10:00.000-08:00

Our last bake sale of the semester will be held on Wednesday, Nov. 24 from 9 - 4:30 in the Clearihue lobby. As always, funds raised will go towards our scholarship fund.
Baked goods can be dropped off at the table from 9 am onwards. If you can sit at the table, please go to http://doodle.com/ruhuv8pkmx95n7a8 to sign up for a time. You are expected to be at the table for all of the times that you sign up for.

Also...there are still tickets available for the big end-of-semester party! They will be on sale at the bakesale, so come on by and get a ticket ($7 each).

Events Happening This Week

2010-11-15T15:07:00.000-08:00

Thursday, Nov. 18:
Linguistics Department Research Forum from 11:30 to 12:50 in Elliott 061 (access to Elliott Lecture Hall is from the entrance closest to Cornett/Totem Poles/MacLaurin, 061 is downstairs). Talk titles (10 minutes per talk) are given below.

Adam Steffanick: ``L2 Japanese Verb-Form Transformation''

Matt Richards: ``Computational Tools for Exploring Classificatory Verb Systems''

Li-Shih Huang and Nicholas Travers: ``News from the field: Current applied linguistics research activities''

Ewa Czaykowska-Higgins: ``What's a Nxa'amxcin Word?''

Hua Lin and Charles Chen: ``Is there a perceptual hierarchy for English speakers perceiving
Mandarin tones?''

Martha McGinnis: ``Interactions of Movement and Binding''

Games Afternoon: 2:30-4:30 in the SUB, B024.

Friday, Nov. 19:
Meeting: Clearihue C111 from 3:30 - 4:00. This will be the last meeting of the semester.

Applying to Grad School in Linguistics Workshop: 4:00 - 5:00 in Clearihue C111.

Bake Sale! Wednesday, Oct. 27!

2010-10-26T10:31:00.000-07:00

There will be a bake sale on Wednesday, Oct. 27 in the Clearihue Lobby. All monies raised will go towards our scholarship fund.
Please drop off any baked goods to sell at the table at 9:30 am or later.
For those who signed up for a shift at the table but don't remember what time they signed up for, the schedule is here: http://doodle.com/wnqewiwpibsgw3e2

Tickets for the End-Of-Semester Party will also be sold at the bake sale. The party is on Dec. 3 and tickets are $7 each. Come by to get a ticket or more information.

Hope to see you all there!

Linguistics Colloquium: Friday, Oct. 22

2010-10-20T23:02:00.000-07:00

Dr. Dan Silverman will be the speaker at Friday's colloquium. His talk is titled "Alternation not segmentation." The colloquium is from 3:30-5 in Clearihue C112.

Meeting - Friday, Oct. 15

2010-10-15T11:21:00.001-07:00

There will be an Underlings meeting on Friday, Oct. 15, at 3:30 in Cle A207.

Linguistics Circle Colloquium Series: Dr. Molly Babel (Oct. 15 @ 3:30 p.m., CLE C112)

2010-10-15T11:20:00.000-07:00

Dr. Molly Babel, UBC
Title: Phonetic imitation as a window into speech perception

Date: Friday, October 15, 2010

Time: 3:30 p.m. ~ 5:00 p.m.

Location: Clearihue Building C112

Abstract and Bio: http://bit.ly/aZ93oH

Language-Games: Thursday, Sept. 30 SUB B024

2010-09-29T11:03:00.000-07:00

Language-games on Thursday, Sept. 30 will be in the SUB, room B024, from 2:30 until 4:30.

Games Afternoons!

2010-09-22T10:49:00.000-07:00

Our weekly language-games afternoons start on Thursday, Sept. 23 in the SUB, B110b from 2:30-4:30.

Below is a list of all dates and rooms for this semester's games afternoons.

Sept 23, SUBB110b
Sept 30, SUBB024
Oct 7, SUB B100b
Oct 14, SUB B100b
Oct 21, SUB B110b
Oct 28, SUB B110b
Nov 4, SUB B110b
Nov 11, canceled for Reading Break
Nov 18, SUB B024
Nov 25, SUB B024

Linguistics Colloquium - Friday Sept. 17 at 3:30pm

2010-09-14T21:34:00.001-07:00

The first Lingustics Circle Colloquium for the fall term is on Friday, Sept. 17 at 3:30 pm in Clearihue C112. The speaker is Dr. Jason Rothman from the University of Florida. The title of his talk is "L1 attrition and input quality consequences for heritage speaker competence outcomes." To see his abstract and bio, visit http://tiny.cc/0b17d

To see an up-to-date listing of the Linguistics colloquium events, visit the UVic Events Calendar (http://tiny.cc/9cdi2).

Vote: Games afternoon time

2010-09-12T20:44:00.000-07:00

A poll has been set up to pick a time for our weekly language-games afternoons. Please choose which time(s) you'd like. Go to: http://doodle.com/equ8fdf3u4i5df7g to see the poll. Please vote as soon as possible so we can get our games started!

Underlings meeting - Friday, September 10

2010-09-07T15:37:00.000-07:00

The first Underlings meeting for the fall semester will be on Friday Sept. 10, 2010, from 3:30pm - 4:30pm in Clearihue Building A207.
At this meeting, we'll vote in our executive for the year and brainstorm events so we can create a budget request. If you would like to be on the executive, please come to the meeting! We need a chair, secretary, and treasurer. Bring ideas for fun Underlings events, too!

2010 Grad Photo

2010-04-07T19:58:00.000-07:00

2010 Grad Photo
Who: any students in the Class of 2010 (convocating this coming June or November)
When: Friday (Apr.9), 11:30am
Where: meet at CleC108, photo will be in Clearihue courtyard
Dress: casual / whatever makes you happy (it's not formal or anything like that)

Lansdowne Lecture Series

2010-03-19T18:19:00.000-07:00

Dr Sandra Chung (UC Santa Cruz), this year's Lansdowne Lecturer for linguistics, will be presenting three talks next week:

Tuesday Mar.23
7:00-9:00pm, HHB 105
“How Universal Are Parts of Speech?"

Thursday Mar.25
11:30am-12:50pm, HHB 110
“Sound System and Writing System Clash”

Thursday Mar.25
3:30-5:00pm, CleA304
“The Syntax and Semantics of Chamorro Possessors”

Call for Papers: Speculative Grammarian

2010-03-19T18:15:00.000-07:00

Speculative Grammarian, the premier scholarly journal featuring research in the neglected field of satirical linguistics, is seeking submissions! SpecGram is full of clever and witty articles on a wide range of linguistics topics and you could be the next illustrious author to be published! You can find all the details here: http://specgram.com/submit.html, or check out the latest issue to get inspired.

Important Linguistics News

2010-02-23T12:01:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow, Wednesday Feb.24, there will be a presentation by Dr. John Archibald, one of the candidates for Dean of Humanities. Dr. Archibald is currently Head of Linguistics at the University of Calgary, and if he were elected Dean at UVic he would be joining our department as well. His talk will be from 12:30 to 1:30 pm in Cornett B108, and it would be great to have students there.

Next Monday, Mar.1, there will be an opportunity for students to take part in the Academic Program Review of the Linguistics department. This is your chance to talk to outside reviewers about all the things you love and not-so-much love about the program -- what courses you like, what you wish we had, thoughts on research, the faculty... anything at all. This will be from 4-5pm in the Linguistics Seminar Room in Clearihue D-wing.

Also, save these dates:

We're planning a undergrad/grad/faculty/staff coffee house for the afternoon of Friday Mar.26. We'll be celebrating the fast approaching end of the semester and school year, and would also like to invite all you talented linguists to entertain us! Sing, dance, tell a joke, rap, do some bad magic tricks, whatever you'd like! Email me if you might be interested in such a thing. We may also be joined by the Lansdowne Lecturer, who will be visiting that week.

Movie afternoon will be Tuesday Mar.30 at 2:30pm. The movie to be afternooned is yet to be decided.

Year-end party! Friday Apr. 9. A splendid time is guaranteed for all.

Meeting this Friday

2010-02-08T10:33:00.000-08:00

We'll be meeting this Friday, Feb.12, at 2:30pm to discuss plans for the rest of the semester. Location TBD.

Vote: T-shirt designs

2010-02-03T22:04:00.000-08:00

Here are the three submissions for t-shirt designs. Please choose which one you'd like. We may offer the old tree design by special order if you missed out the last two years and still want one.

Note that once we've picked the design, colour options and any other details can be adjusted as necessary.

The poll is here: http://doodle.com/z8y873m67caf9qs2

Please vote as soon as possible so we can get printing!

Bake Sale Wednesday Feb.3

2010-01-26T20:42:00.000-08:00

We're having a bake sale next Wednesday, Feb.3, from 9:15 to 3-ish in the Clearihue lobby to raise funds for the Underlings scholarship. Please bring some goodies if you can, and if you have an hour or two to spare, sign up to watch the table here: http://www.doodle.com/z95ckmxm5qwqq6bg.

We'll also be selling Valentine's cards, which we're making next Tuesday, Feb.2, in SUB B025 at 2:30pm (in lieu of the language games afternoon).

Tuesday language games

2010-01-12T11:50:00.000-08:00

Tuesday afternoon language games returns today! We will meet every Tuesday in the SUB B025* from 2:30-4:30pm.

*Note that on Feb.23 and Mar.23 we will meet in B110b. There will be no meeting during reading break (Feb.16).

Reminder: two more games afternoons left!

2009-11-23T16:49:00.000-08:00

Just a reminder that there are only two games afternoons left in the term! Tomorrow (Nov.24) and Tuesday next (Dec.1), at 2:30 in SUB B025. Hope to see you there.

p.s. If you are not on the mailing list yet, please email uvicunderlings at gmail dot com so that you're kept in the loop.

Halloween! Bake Sale and Party

2009-10-25T16:42:00.000-07:00

We're having our first bake sale this Wednesday, Oct.28, 9:20am-3pm in the Clearihue lobby. Any goodies you can bring will be much appreciated, and if you can spare an hour or so to watch the table, please sign up here: http://doodle.com/ny54pf8pegn8nmuv. Money raised goes toward the Underlings scholarship fund. (If you're able to bring an ingredient list with your baking that would be helpful -- for people with allergies, etc.)

Also at the bake sale you can get tickets for the Halloween Party! It will be this Friday, Oct.30, starting around /7pm at my place in James Bay (also known as the LinguaLounge). Address/directions/parking instructions will be on the tickets. Snacks will be provided, but please bring your own drinks. You must come in costume!! There will be prizes for costumes, IPA Twister, and Pin-the-segment-on-the-IPA-chart. (There's also a facebook event if you like that sort of thing: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=305575700360).

Happy Halloween!

Tuesday Afternoon Language Games

2009-09-24T11:42:00.000-07:00

Every Tuesday this term we'll be getting together in the SUB to play language-themed board games, such as Scrabble, Balderdash and Boggle. There will be snacks and tea (please bring a mug), and everyone is welcome.

This Tuesday (Sept.29) will be in SUB B110b, but every week after that we will meet in SUB B025. We'll get started at 2:30pm. Hope to see you there!

(Note that this will be cancelled Nov.10 for reading break.)

Meeting Minutes, Sept.18/09

2009-09-24T11:11:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone who came to the meeting. The minutes have been uploaded here:
http://www.freewebs.com/uvicunderlings/minutes-2009-09-18.pdf

Meeting: Friday Sept.18 2:30pm CleA211

2009-09-12T17:14:00.000-07:00

Our first meeting will be this Friday, September 18, at 2:30pm in CleA211.
There will be food and a draw prize.
Hope to see you there!

p.s. If you can't attend but have any ideas or thoughts on what we should get up to this term, send me an email (uvicunderlings at gmail dot com).

Set the date for our first meeting

2009-09-07T15:45:00.000-07:00

It's back-to-school time and we need to have our first meeting of the year. Course Union forms must be in by Monday Sept 21 at the end of the day, so we'll have to meet before then to get everything sorted. I've set up a poll so please check the days and times you'd be available. If you can do this soon would be great, so that I can set the date and book a room. Poll: http://www.doodle.com/rugw6zsqw85mm4d2.

2009 Grad Photo

2009-04-01T16:17:00.000-07:00

The grad photo will be Thursday, April 16th, at 5pm.
Location TBA.

Meeting this Friday

2009-02-23T20:09:00.001-08:00

We will be having a meeting this Friday (Feb.27) at 2:30pm in Clearihue A203 to discuss plans for the rest of the semester (i.e. the party).

Hope to see you there.

Meeting Jan. 16th

2009-01-08T19:50:00.001-08:00

Our first meeting of the spring semester will be next week on Friday January 16th at 2:30pm. Room is TBA.

Update: We will meet in Clearihue A304.

See you then.

Call for Papers - McCCLU 2009

2008-12-08T12:15:00.001-08:00

Call for Papers

The Society of Linguistics Undergraduates of McGill (SLUM) at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada is hosting its third annual McGill’s Canadian Conference for Linguistics Undergraduates (McCCLU) the weekend of March 6th, 2009. The aims of the conference are to promote undergraduate research and to foster the growth of the undergraduate linguistics community.

Undergraduate students interested in participating are encouraged to submit an abstract for a 20-minute talk with a 10-minute question period on any topic pertaining to linguistics. Students may also submit an abstract for a poster on any topic relevant to linguistics at our poster session to be held during the conference. Abstracts should be a maximum of one-page in length and should be submitted online to mccclu2009@gmail.com by Monday February 9th, 2009. Please indicate whether you would like to be considered for a 20-minute talk or for the poster session or both.

Please direct any further questions to mccclu2009@gmail.com.

For more information, check out mccclu.com.

Department seminar room

2008-11-17T11:57:00.001-08:00

Until further notice, undergraduate students are requested not to use the Linguistics department seminar room. While it is a wonderful place to study and talk to other students and faculty, there have been some complaints, which I'm working to resolve. We will hopefully be allowed back shortly. Thank you for your cooperation.

Edit: Undergraduates are once again welcome to use the seminar room. Specific guidelines are posted in the room as well as online (http://www.freewebs.com/uvicunderlings/seminarroom.pdf).

Meeting Minutes (Nov 7)

2008-11-17T11:29:00.000-08:00

The minutes are now available here.

Meeting This Friday

2008-11-04T23:19:00.000-08:00

Our monthly meeting is this Friday!

November 7th, 3:30pm
Clearihue A304

See you there.

Graduate school information session

2008-11-01T11:23:00.000-07:00

Last year Dr Su Urbanczyk put on an information session called "Things to consider when applying for graduate school" and is kindly offering it again this year. She realizes that some of you may already be making your applications and apololgizes that this comes so late in the semester, but the only date that worked is Friday November 28, 3:30-5:00pm (location TBA). Anyone is welcome to attend, but third and fourth year students might find it particularly useful. I hope you can make it.

Edit: The workshop will be held in Clearihue A304.

Linguistics Colloquium and Lansdowne Lecture

2008-10-20T16:53:00.000-07:00

UVic Linguistics Circle Colloquium Series
Friday, October 24th, 3:30-5:00pm, Clearihue A303
Brian Gick (UBC): "An eco-friendly perspective on audio-tactile and visuo-tactile speech perception"
Abstract: I will present some recent multimodal perception results from our lab in which a variety of tactile stimuli are coupled with audio and visual speech information. These results suggest that: 1) naïve perceivers make substantial use of naturalistic tactile speech information, 2) they do this irrespective of previous specific experience, 3) different individuals make use of different kids of information in multimodal perception, 4) perceivers are aware of complex physical relations between media, and 5) perceivers undergo perception as a whole-body experience. These findings will be discussed in the context of a broader ecological model of human language.

Lansdowne Lecture Series
Wednesday, October 29th, 7:00pm, DSB C118
Dr. Grit Liebscher (U. of Waterloo): "Who Are We and Who Am I? Identity Construction through Language"
While identity, in particular ethnic identity, is sometimes seen as an essential category, one can also take the perspective that it is constructed, among other means, through language. Taking this perspective, an analysis of conversations reveals which role language plays in this process. Dr. Liebscher will discuss ways through which inclusion and exclusion is achieved, individuals are positioned, and language is bound up with history. These aspects are illustrated by examples from her research projects involving Canadian German-speaking immigrants and their descendants, western Germans in eastern Germany, and Germans during unification.

Career and Grad School Planning

2008-10-20T16:50:00.000-07:00

For those of you nearing graduation, there are two talks this week which may be of interest to you:

Where to From Here: Your Career After UVic
Wednesday, October 22nd, 4:45-5:45pm, DSBC108
This interactive one-hour session will explore the challenges and opportunities that are part of the transition from school to the next stage of your career. Find out about the services and programs available at UVic Career Services to help you make a smooth transition.

Considering Grad School? Preparation and Planning
Thursday, October 23rd, 4:45-6:15pm, CleaC112
In the presentation Dr. MacKenzie will discuss how third- and fourth-year undergraduate students can best prepare themselves to get into the graduate school of their choice; resources to help with graduate school selection; timelines for application; the elements of a strong application; working with faculty advisors; finding funding; and the nature of the graduate school experience. There will be a question-and-answer session after the presentation. Dr. Patricia MacKenzie is Associate Dean of Graduate Studies at UVic and has been a graduate advisor for Social Work and for the Masters in Dispute Resolution program.

Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme

2008-10-14T09:35:00.000-07:00

Every year, the Japanese government invites Canadian university graduates to participate in a minimum one-year, cultural exchange program. Participants work as either Assistant English Teachers (ALT) in the Japanese educational system or serve as Coordinators of International Relations (CIR) in local Japanese government offices, beginning August 1, 2009 (for participants departing from Vancouver).

To be eligible, applicants must be a Canadian citizen under 40 years of age and hold a minimum of a Bachelor's Degree by the end of July 2009. Students currently in the final year of their degree are eligible to apply.

Application forms are now available for download at the Consulate General of Japan's website: www.vancouver.ca.emb-japan.go.jp. To be considered, applications must be sent directly to the Embassy of Japan in Ottawa, and must be postmarked by Friday, November 28, 2008.

An information session will be held at the University of Victoria on Thursday, October 23 - 1:30-3:00 PM in Room A240 of the Human & Social Development Building.

Linguistics Colloquia in Vancouver - Oct. 16 & 17

2008-10-09T10:38:00.000-07:00

If you will be in Vancouver next week, both SFU and UBC are holding linguistics colloquia that you may be interested in:

SFU - Thursday Oct. 16
Suzanne Higendorf of Simon Fraser University will be presenting a talk entitled "Globalization and the Market: The Spread of English in Germany". The talk will be held at 11:30am in Halpern Centre 114 at SFU's Burnaby Campus.

UBC - Friday Oct. 17
Our own UVic professor Ken Hiraiwa will be presenting "Multiple Spell-Out and PF: A Case of the Double-o Constraint" at the UBC Linguistics colloquium series. The talk begins at 3:30pm in room 103 of the new Linguistics building (Totem Field Studios) at 2613 West Mall.

Federal Government Co-op and Career Opportunities Conference

2008-10-09T10:33:00.000-07:00

I'm passing along some information about a conference that some of you may be interested in:

The University of Victoria and the Federal Government have partnered in an agreement to deliver an on-campus career and learning event that will give students an insight into the diversity of opportunities in the Federal public service. “Canada’s Future Through You” – a Federal Government Co-op and Career Opportunities Conference and Expo will take place on October 21, 2008.

This event is an opportunity for students to explore how their degree connects to public sector initiatives and research.

Put Your Talent to Work: Canada’s Future Through You

Want to discuss your views on public policy with senior decision makers? Interested in a challenging career that fits with your education? Inspired to be part of Canada’s next generation of leaders?

When: Tuesday, October 21st, 9:00 a.m. – 4:45 p.m.
Where: Conference and Information Sessions – Medical Sciences Building
Expo – University Centre / Senate Chambers
Cost: Free

There will be over 25 federal department exhibitors, discussion panels featuring senior government officials and UVic faculty, information sessions and possible job interviews.

For more information, or to register, visit http://www.yourfuturescalling.ca

T-Shirt Designs & Underlings Logo

2008-10-05T12:50:00.000-07:00

We are now requesting submissions for new t-shirt designs! Send along any ideas you have: phrases, drawings, bad puns... whatever you'd like to wear across your chest in a sign of solidarity with your fellow linguists. We would like to have a vote at the end of this month to determine which design will be printed, so please email us at uvicunderlings@gmail.com as soon as possible! The creator of the winning submission will get his or her t-shirt for free.

We also need a new Underlings logo/mascot. The idea at the meeting was Captain Underling and his sidekick Murgetroid -- if you have a hidden artistic talent that can bring the Captain to life, please send us an illustration. Any other ideas are welcome as well.

We look forward to seeing what you come up with!

Meeting Minutes

2008-10-05T12:28:00.000-07:00

I think we can safely say that our meeting/meet-and-greet/movie was a success! Thank you all for coming out. A pdf of the minutes from the meeting can be read here.

The bake sale is set for Wednesday Oct.29th. If you are able to bring some baking or other goodies they would be much appreciated. If you're able to sit at the table in the Clearihue lobby for an hour or two, please sign-up at http://www.doodle.ch/participation.html?pollId=cbz73zpcbncfutua.

Oct. 3 Meeting (Update)

2008-10-01T18:37:00.000-07:00

This Friday's meeting/meet-and-greet/movie will be held in Clearihue A304. Meeting begins at 3:30pm -- there will be pizza.

Proposed meeting agenda:

Budget / UVSS update
Bake sale Oct. 29 - table schedule, banners/signs
T-shirt contest - determine dates and details
Possible collaborative events - Grad students, French club?
Department news - Colloquiums Oct. 10 and 24
Next meeting - Oct. 17 or 31
Any other business

Email uvicunderlings@gmail.com if you'd like anything added.

UBC Linguistics Colloquium

2008-09-29T11:08:00.000-07:00

If you will be in Vancouver this Friday (although I hope you'll be here at our meeting/meet-and-greet/movie night), the UBC colloquium series will be hosting Amanda Miller (UBC Linguistics), who will be presenting "Phonetic and Phonological Evidence for Posterior Place Contrasts in Click Consonants". The colloquium takes place at 3:30pm in Room 103 of the new Linguistics building (Totem Field Studios) at 2613 West Mall, at the southwest corner of the UBC campus.

Pizza Meeting & Movie - Friday Oct. 3

2008-09-23T09:47:00.000-07:00

What: Pizza Meeting & Movie
When: Friday Oct.3 @ 3:30pm
Where: Clearihue (room TBA)

Next Friday, Oct. 3, we will be having our second Underlings meeting of the semester. There will be pizza! After the meeting we're going to watch Ball of Fire, one of the few films to feature a linguist as the main character (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033373/). It should be lots of fun. I hope to see you all there.

Linguistics Department Research Forum

2008-09-22T10:51:00.000-07:00

This Thursday, September 25th, the UVic Linguistics Department is holding a research forum at 11:30am in Clearihue A127. Graduate students, sessional lecturers, and professors will be making short presentations about their current research projects. The topics are:

Carolyn Pytlyk: "Are Verbs Tough to Classify?"
Tom Hukari: "Hul'q'umi'num' Language Revitalization Videos from the CURA Project"
Scott Moisik: "An Interactive 3D Model of the Larynx and Laryngeal Constrictor Mechanism"
Pauliina Saarinen: "Finnish in Post-Utopian Sointula: Effects of Frequency on Consonant Gradation"
Sonya Bird: "The New and Improved Speech Research Lab Space"

Everyone is welcome to attend. Hope to see you there!

Meeting Minutes

2008-09-22T10:43:00.000-07:00

A pdf of the minutes from last Friday's meeting can be read here.

I hope you can all make it to the next meeting, which is scheduled for Oct. 3.

Underlings 2008-2009

2008-09-19T22:59:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone who came to the meeting today. It looks like we're going to have a great year. I will be posting meeting minutes soon, but this semester you can look forward to bi-monthly meetings and socials, movie night, and new t-shirts. We will hopefully have more events to announce as well, so please do check this site for updates. There is a calendar at the bottom of the page, and you can send an email to uvicunderlings at gmail dot com and we will add you to the mailing list.

I am also pleased to announce this year's executive:
Vanessa McCumber, chair
Chad Laidlaw, vice-chair
Lauren Macdonald, secretary
Sam Bellion, treasurer
Nathan Hoffart, social coordinator

If you have questions or items to suggest for the next meeting, please email them or reply in the comments thread.

I look forward to seeing you all soon.

Cheers,
Vanessa