(Se)Mantis Lab

The (Se)Mantis Lab is dedicated to the study of meaning from a variety of perspectives using diverse methodologies (e.g., formal, typological, experimental). We focus on crosslinguistic research in semantics and its interface with other areas like pragmatics, syntax, and morphology. We meet biweekly to work collaboratively on research projects, present work in progress, prepare for conference presentations, etc. We welcome faculty members, graduate students, and undergraduate students.

Researchers:

	Dr. Pilar Chamorro, Director Pilar Chamorro's research focuses on the semantic and pragmatic contribution of temporal, aspectual, and modal expressions across languages. She is also interested in the semantics of plurals, the mass/count distinction, and quantification. She is also involved in the documentation and preservation of endangered languages of Brazil.
	Dr. Vera Lee-Schoenfeld Vera Lee-Schoenfeld is primarily a theoretical linguist with a research focus on German syntax. In more recent work, she has been investigating the syntax-phonology-pragmatics interface in the context of verb phrase fronting as well as dative vs. accusative case, passivization, and binding in double-object constructions.
	Dr. Steven Foley Dr. Foley's research revolves around morphosyntactic complexity and variation. He is interested in the subconscious strategies comprehenders use to process words and sentences as well as the formal representation of these diverse patterns, and theories linking grammatical competence to performance phenomena.
	Seaira Lett, PhD student, Coordinator Seaira Lett has a B.A. in Spanish and linguistics from Emory University and a Master of Education from the University of Missouri-St. Louis. Seaira’s research interests include language documentation and indigenous languages of Latin America. Her focus is on the morphosyntax of Chuj, a Mayan language spoken primarily in Guatemala. She currently collects data with a community of speakers in the US.
	Graham Burgess, PhD student Graham's areas of research are syntax & semantics and historical linguistics. He is particularly interested in event semantics and the historical relationships between and evolution of tense, aspect, mood, and telicity.
	Jill McLendon, undergraduate student
	Britton Hare, undergraduate student
	John Doan, undergraduate student

Presentations:

Costa-Silva, J; Hare, B. "A Link between Languages: Manner and Path Elaboration by Highly Proficient L2 English Learners". South Carolina Spring Research Symposium.
Lett, S. "Initial Evidence Towards a Tenseless Analysis of Chuj". Linguistics Colloquium, University of Georgia.

Frequently Asked Questions:

When and where do we meet?

Fall 2024 schedule will be available soon.

How can I join?

If you're interested in joining our group, please contact Seaira Lett, at seaira.lett@uga.edu

Support Linguistics at UGA

Your donations to the Department of Linguistics will support research and travel opportunities for students and faculty and other initiatives to enhance students' education in linguistics. Please consider joining other friends and alumni who have shown their support by making a gift to our fund. We greatly appreciate your contributions to the success of our programs!