Let us all give a big welcome to the incoming cohort, ling-22!
Johanna Alstott: Hello MIT Linguistics! My name is Johanna Alstott (she/her). I’m originally from Connecticut, but Cambridge has already become a second home to me because I did my undergrad at Harvard. My main linguistic interests concern language acquisition as well as semantics, pragmatics, and their interface. I have a particular soft spot for experimental methods, with my main research to date consisting of experiments probing the semantics of adverbial quantifiers like sometimes and usually. My main hobby outside of linguistics is classical oboe, though I also love Dungeons & Dragons and consuming art in all its forms. I am really excited to get started at MIT!
Zachary Feldcamp: My name is Zachary Feldcamp (he/him/his). I’m from New Jersey and have recently completed a master’s in Linguistics at the University of Toronto. My primary research interest is the morphosyntax of the noun phrase. In particular, I have been working on a general account of linkers, drawing on data from Tshiluba and other languages. I am originally a classicist, so I am also interested in classical Latin and Greek. I have also worked on Middle Elamite, a language isolate from the ancient Near East with a unique linker system. Outside of linguistics, I enjoy playing and listening to jazz.
Yurika Aonuki: I’m Yurika Aonuki (she/her). I’m originally from Japan. I did my BA and MA at University of British Columbia, where I started doing fieldwork on Gitksan (Tsimshianic). My main area is semantics, and I have worked on tense and aspect in Gitksan, Japanese, and English. I also have interests and research experience in American Sign Language. Recently, I started eliciting degree constructions in Gitksan. Outside of linguistics, I like to dance (contemporary and ballet especially) and play with rabbits (and cats and dogs if they’re not intimidating).
Xinyue (Cynthia) Zhong (she/her): I grew up in Beijing, China and moved to California when I was 13. My current interests are in phonetics/laboratory phonology and bilingualism. Outside of linguistics, I enjoy playing/arranging music, doing translations, and video games :)
Bergül Soykan: I am Bergül Soykan and my pronouns are she/her/hers. I am coming from Turkey and I got my BA and MA in Boğaziçi University. I am mostly into semantics, particularly the semantics of conditionals and counterfactuals. Other than linguistics, I enjoy reading detective stories, watching action movies/series and traveling to new places.
Juan Cancel: Hi, I’m Juan D. Cancel (he/him/his) and I’m one of the new incoming graduate students here at MIT. I was born in Puerto Rico and lived there for many years, though for the past four years I’ve been living in the Philadelphia area. My linguistic interests span syntax, morphology and language typology, while my language interests revolve around Chukokto-Kamchatkan, Inuit-Yupik-Unangan, and Celtic. As for non-linguistic interests, I enjoy reading history and philosophy, playing grand-strategy games and watching series on Netflix.
Zhouyi Sun: I am from Yuyao, a city in eastern China. I got an MA in linguistics at Queen Mary University of London. My main interests lie in syntax and morphology. Outside of linguistics I enjoy watching comedy sketches, and one of my current favorite artists is none other than Liz Truss.
Runqi Tan: I’m from China. My research interests started with modelling phonological form and structure with optimization models, and I’m fascinated by the general principles that shape the language systems. I enjoy spending time with friends, reading science, history, biography, watching cartoons and going to musicals and concerts.
Haoming Li: My name is Haoming Li. My pronouns are he, him, his. I am from Chengdu, China. My fields of interest in linguistics are syntax and semantics, and in particular, Chinese (Mandarin) syntax and semantics. Outside of linguistics, I enjoy listening to classical music, recreational programming, and collecting mechanical keyboards.
Taieba Tawakoli
Ukhengching Marma