UBC Language Sciences

UBC Language Sciences The UBC Language Sciences Institute promotes interdisciplinary research into, and learning about, languages No other animals use language.

It is integral to humans, and has enabled us to create complex civilizations, technology, and culture. From investigating children’s development of language, to examining dyslexia and recovery from stroke, to helping the revitalization and maintenance of Indigenous languages, to modelling the human vocal tract, our members’ research helps improve lives, and inform society. The Language Sciences In

stitute was established in 2015, supported by language and literacy advocate Marietta Hurst. In 2021, Language Sciences was established as a Global Research Excellence Institute. We aim to connect scholars, teachers, and researchers working in all areas of the language sciences, to create collaborations that produce and support innovative research. Our members span fields, disciplines, faculties, and institutions. If you are a UBC student, faculty member, or language researcher, why not join us? And if you're a community, industry, or institution interested in partnering with us, please get in touch!

See you tomorrow at Language Sciences' Postdoctoral and Graduate Research (PaGR) Day in Suite 2240, Gateway Health Build...
04/29/2026

See you tomorrow at Language Sciences' Postdoctoral and Graduate Research (PaGR) Day in Suite 2240, Gateway Health Building!

We’re excited to spotlight Éléonore Guy, a PhD student in the UBC Department of Anthropology, presenting at PaGR Day on ...
04/23/2026

We’re excited to spotlight Éléonore Guy, a PhD student in the UBC Department of Anthropology, presenting at PaGR Day on April 30!

Éléonore’s research looks at how young adults in Kazakhstan navigate identity and belonging through language, focusing on the role of Russian in a shifting (post-)colonial context.

By examining the use of Kazakh and Russian in Astana, Éléonore’s research illustrates how Russian dominates public contexts while Kazakh is often used in familial or traditional settings, as well as the emergence of different Kazakh registers and the anxieties tied to them.

Learn more about Éléonore’s research and connect with students and scholars in the field of language sciences at PaGR Day on April 30!

RSVP in bio. See you there!

PaGR Day Spotlight: Steve is an MA student in Applied Linguistics at the University of Victoria. His research interests ...
04/22/2026

PaGR Day Spotlight: Steve is an MA student in Applied Linguistics at the University of Victoria. His research interests include second language acquisition, phonology, sociolinguistics, and language pedagogy.

Poster Presentation:
Steve’s work dives into an important challenge for English learners: distinguishing tense vs. lax vowels. While past research on High Variability Phonetic Training (HVPT) has emphasized the importance of spectral cues, Steve reexamines key studies through the lens of Exemplar Theory, and suggests that duration cues may actually play a crucial role for beginner learners still forming their phonological categories.

By questioning long-held assumptions, Steve’s research opens up new possibilities for how we approach pronunciation training in early-stage language learning.

📍Learn more about Steve’s research and connect with students and scholars in the field of language sciences at PaGR Day on April 30!

RSVP in bio. See you there!

Language access shapes lives, and we are pleased to highlight the following research on Language Deprivation that will b...
04/21/2026

Language access shapes lives, and we are pleased to highlight the following research on Language Deprivation that will be showcased at LangSci’s 7th annual PaGR Day on April 30.

Towards a Better Understanding: Research on Language Deprivation and Deaf Children

Dr. Wyatt Hall from the University of Rochester will share insights into language deprivation, as well as deaf representation in research. He will be joined in part by Dr. Joanna Cannon (UBC, Educational and Counselling Psychology and Special Education) and Alayna Finley (PhD student, UBC, ECPS), and together, they welcome inquiries during the Q&A session. Join us to better understand what language deprivation is like for individuals who are deaf.

Language Equity in Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI): A Deaf-Centred Project ECHO Model - presentation by Alayna Finley

Early language access shapes cognitive, social, and emotional development. Yet many deaf children experience delayed or incomplete access during critical early years. In this presentation, learn more about how early, sustained exposure, including signed languages, can shift outcomes, and why it’s a shared responsibility across health, education, and language sciences.

Alayna will also present her research, Reframing Deaf Children’s Language Access: Expansive ASL in the Early Years, in a poster presentation at the event. Her research explores how Deaf parents use expansive ASL in daily interactions with their children, and highlights how complex, expressive language is naturally embedded in these moments, offering important insights for early learning, family-centred support, and more inclusive approaches to language development.

Join us at PaGR Day ‘26 to learn more!

Date: Thursday, April 30th
Time: 9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Location: Hybrid - Suite 2240, Gateway Health Sciences Building and Online via Zoom.

RSVP in bio!

Meet UBC MSc student Solana Redway. Solana is pursuing her MSc in Neuroscience at UBC and will be presenting her researc...
04/21/2026

Meet UBC MSc student Solana Redway. Solana is pursuing her MSc in Neuroscience at UBC and will be presenting her research on brain activity and language at PaGR Day ‘26.

Using fMRI to examine patterns of brain activity, Solana’s research shows how language processing can be distinguished from general task-based activity.

Her research supports important applications for precision mapping of cognitive function with potential relevance for clinical prediction, brain stimulation targeting, and pre-surgical planning.

Join us on April 30 to learn more at UBC LangSci's flagship event, PaGR Day! This event is taking place in-person at the Gateway Health Sciences building and online via Zoom.

RSVP and details in bio 🔗

10 days to go ✨UBC Language Sciences 7th annual Postdoc & Graduate Research Day (PaGR Day) is almost here - a full day o...
04/21/2026

10 days to go ✨

UBC Language Sciences 7th annual Postdoc & Graduate Research Day (PaGR Day) is almost here - a full day of talks, posters, and ideas connected to language sciences.

From early language development to AI, multilingualism, and social impact, join us on April 30th to discover the breadth of research undertaken by postdocs and graduate students in the field of language sciences and to meet like-minded students and scholars at this flagship event.

Thursday, April 30, from 9:30 AM - 5:00 PM, in-person at the Gateway Health Building and online. See you there!

RSVP in bio 🔗

How do newcomer youth experience learning English, and how does it shape their sense of belonging?This poster presentati...
04/20/2026

How do newcomer youth experience learning English, and how does it shape their sense of belonging?

This poster presentation will explore how language learning influences school integration for newcomer youth in Metro Vancouver, from connection and participation to barriers and discrimination.

📍Presented at the 7th annual PaGR (Postdoc & Graduate Research) Day on Thursday, April 30th. In-person in suite 2240 at the Gateway Health Sciences Building and online via Zoom.

Learn more on April 30 at PaGR Day ‘26!

In person + online

RSVP in bio 🔗

Why do students choose to learn a new language, and what shapes that journey?In this poster presentation, MA student, Al...
04/16/2026

Why do students choose to learn a new language, and what shapes that journey?

In this poster presentation, MA student, Alexander Suyanto, will present and explore how multilingual learners invest in learning German and navigate identity and belonging. Alexander’s research shows how language learning is not just practical, but deeply tied to who we are and who we hope to become.

Alexander Suyanto, Department of Central, Eastern, and Northern European Studies:
Learner Investment and Identity: Multilingual Pathways Into German.

📚 🌍 Learn more on April 30th at PaGR Day!

In person & online - RSVP in bio 🔗

We’re pleased to highlight three presenters at PaGR Day ’26 exploring early language acquisition.Dr. Helen Shiyang Lu 🎤C...
04/15/2026

We’re pleased to highlight three presenters at PaGR Day ’26 exploring early language acquisition.

Dr. Helen Shiyang Lu 🎤
Cue weighting in monolingual and bilingual infants' word segmentation

Dr. Erica Flaten 🎤
Tracking the Beat: Exploring the role of Rhythmic Regularity in Early Word Learning

Sylvia Cho 🎤
Early Multilingual Experience Shapes Voice Quality Production: Evidence from Korean Heritage Speakers in Vancouver BC

Together, their work examines how early language experience shapes how we learn, process, and produce language, from infants identifying words in speech, to the role of rhythm in early learning, to lasting effects on voice and speech in multilingual speakers 🌍

Learn more on April 30th at PaGR Day!

In person & online - RSVP in bio 🔗

We’re pleased to introduce three speakers presenting at PaGR Day ’26, whose work explores language, identity, and social...
04/14/2026

We’re pleased to introduce three speakers presenting at PaGR Day ’26, whose work explores language, identity, and social meaning across contexts 🌍

🎤 Featuring PhD students
Suyuan Liu - Presentation: Where Ideology Meets the Signal: Language Standardness, Voice Similarity, and Intelligibility in Bilingual Speech Processing

Serikbolsyn Tastanbek - Presentation: Researcher reflexivity: Examining EAL teachers’ translanguaging stance through a social constructionist lens

Ava Momeni - Presentation: The role of the Language mode in theory of mind: A Human Connectome Project functional magnetic resonance imaging fMRI study

Together, their research examines how language is perceived, evaluated, and used to make sense of others - from social interaction and the brain to classroom practices and language ideologies.

📍Join us on Thursday, April 30th, to learn more about their work.

In person + online!

RSVP in bio 🔗

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4031 Audain Art Centre
Vancouver, BC
V6T1Z4

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