UCSB Linguistics

10/14/2026

Our second Linguistics Colloquium for Fall 2026!

'Temporalities and Evidence through Talk in Dependency Court'

Jessica López-Espino
University of California, Santa Barbara

15 October 2026, 3:30-4:30
SH 3605

Dependency courts’ power to enforce decisions on custody and parental rights is drawn from its coordination of standards of evidence and assessments of risk to children along institutional timelines. By analyzing a parent’ discussion with her attorney prior to her jurisdiction and disposition hearing, I demonstrate how conversations between parents and their attorneys involve the negotiation of parents’ and the court’s perception of time and evidence. This work offers insight into how temporality intersects with evidence construction and uptake in the reproduction of state authority. The findings illustrate how parents and their legal counsel managed the present, the past, and future of child neglect and maltreatment allegations.

10/12/2026

10/12/2026

Spotlight: Dr. Matt Gordon (he/him)

With 28 years under in our department, we’d like to put a spotlight on Professor Gordon. Thank you for all that you do for our department through teaching, research, and mentorship!

09/23/2026

Local Ling folks, come celebrate the start of AY 26-27!! Check your email for RSVP links & see you on 10/2!

09/19/2026

Welcome to the Fall 2026 Linguistics Colloquium Series at UCSB Linguistics!

"Do syntax and semantics dissociate in the brain? A view from lesion-symptom mapping in aphasia"
William Matchin
Associate Professor, Dept. of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of South Carolina; Visiting Scholar, Dept. of Linguistics, UCLA

Syntax and semantics have been described as two fundamentally distinct domains of human language. Early cognitive neuroscience research found spatial differences in the brain for these domains. However, the syntax-semantics distinction has been called into question. Some linguistic theories advocate for integration of lexical-semantics and syntax, and some functional neuroimaging studies show substantial spatial overlap for these domains. One issue is that these systems are tightly integrated and interactive under any theory, making it difficult to disentangle them. In order to remedy this, (1) experimental designs are needed which are capable of disentangling syntax and semantics, and (2) methods which allow stronger inference are needed, such as lesion-symptom mapping in people with aphasia. I will present preliminary lesion-symptom mapping studies suggesting that these domains can, in fact, be dissociated. Future studies will require interdisciplinary cooperation among linguistics, aphasiology, and neuroscience.

September 24, 2026, 3:30 - 4:30 PM
South Hall 3605 & Via Zoom

09/14/2026

We are so excited to begin the fall quarter! 🍂

05/28/2026

Linguistics Colloquium
Thursday, May 28, 2026
South Hall 3605 & via Zoom, 3:30-5 pm

Geocentric languages and the perception of the Earth’s magnetic field
Felicity Meakins, University of Queensland

https://www.instagram.com/ucsb_linguistics/p/DY27PzYBW0S/

05/13/2026

Linguistics Colloquium
Thursday, May 14, 2026
3:30-5 pm

South Hall (SH) 3605 & via Zoom: 

Learning to Talk about Emotions: Cognitive, Social, and Technological Factors in Children's Development of Emotion Language

Ashvini Varatharaj
UCSB

04/27/2026

Linguistics Colloquium
Thurs 30 April 2026
SH 3605 & via Zoom, 3:30 pm PDT

Indigenous Amazonians vs. Facebook Algorithms: How Shipibo-Konibos Mediatize Community on Facebook
Jennifer Sierra
Wolf Humanities Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania 
President’s Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of California, Santa Barbara