Linguistics Outreach Event


Wednesday, March 9th, 2016
9:00 AM - 2:00 PM


Arts and Humanities Building, Western University

Click here to download the program


What do linguists do? (Janis Chang, Lyndon Rey)

There are as many answers to these questions as there are linguists, so come and try your skills at some puzzles to see why we love language (and all the 6,000+ languages) so much! 

Visualizing language sounds: you are your own instrument. (Philippe Gauthier) 

How do we produce human language sounds? Is it possible to see these sounds? Using first your own vocal tract and then with special software, you will discover some basics about acoustics. 

The Canadian part of English, and the Inuit part of Canada (Michael Iannozzi)

The Canadian Language Museum will be sharing two of its exhibits with us! One is on the English of Canada, which is much more than just hockey terms, eh? And the other is on Inuit and Inuktitut, one of the most widely spoken Aboriginal languages in Canada! Come see, hear, and learn as you try to answer all the questions hidden in our exhibits. Learn about what makes Canada  a great place for linguistics!

Learning how to write the right way depends on the language you ask in! (Chantal Lloyd, Sarah Cornwell)

You've probably seen that languages like Mandarin don't use our alphabet, but did you know there are dozens of ways languages are written? In these workshops we will learn how to write in and read Korean and Cree!

Brain & Language: What's happening in your head when you read this, and in mine when I say it? (Lauren McIntosh)

How does your brain know how to read? How does your brain know how to coordinate your lips, tongue, and so much more to allow you to speak? And how does my brain take those sounds, and allow me to understand? In this workshop, you'll learn how much linguistics your brain already does every day.

A: Linguistic Jeopardy! Q: What is an awesome way to learn about linguistics? (Michael Iannozzi) 

This workshop will be a grand tour of our field. You'll have 20 minutes and a couple teammates to learn about 6 huge areas of linguistics, then it is time to be quizzed, to quiz the other teams, and to quiz us linguists with your questions!