Research Overview
My research program investigates the structure, development, and documentation of creole languages, with particular focus on French-based creoles of the Caribbean and Indian Ocean. Using both theoretical and computational approaches, I examine morphological complexity, syntactic variation, and language contact phenomena in these understudied language varieties.
My work integrates traditional linguistic analysis with modern computational methods, including corpus linguistics, natural language processing, and speech technologies, to advance both theoretical understanding and practical applications for language preservation.
Creole Linguistics
My research in creole linguistics focuses on comparative analysis of French-based creoles, examining morphological complexity, syntactic constructions, and language change. This work challenges traditional assumptions about creole simplicity and contributes to broader theories of language contact and change.
Morphological Complexity in Creoles
Investigating inflectional and derivational morphology in Haitian, Guadeloupean, and Mauritian creoles using word-based morphological frameworks.
Negation & Negative concord
Comparative study of negation and negative concord across multiple creole languages, exploring typological variation and theoretical implications.
Information Structure
Morphology as exponents of focus
Verum, Verb and Object Focus
Applicatives and focus relations
Tense-Aspect-Mood Systems
Analysis of the expression of TAM in creole languages as inflectional periphrasis
Language Documentation
I am involved in several documentation projects focusing on under-documented creole languages. This work combines traditional fieldwork with computational methods to create comprehensive records of language structure and use.
Louisiana Creole Documentation
Comprehensive documentation of Louisiana Creole, including audio recordings, transcriptions, and lexical database development.
Indian Ocean Creoles Archive
Development of digital resources for Mauritian, Rodriguais, Chagossien, Seselwa and Réunionnais creoles, including lexical databases and annotated corpora.
Computational Linguistics
My computational work focuses on developing tools and resources for under-resourced languages, particularly in the areas of speech processing and corpus development.
KreoLex Database Development
Creation of comprehensive lexical databases for multiple creole languages, including frequency data, etymologies, and grammatical annotations.
Automatic Speech Recognition for Creoles
Development of ASR systems specifically designed for French-based creole languages, addressing the technology gap for under-resourced languages.
Theoretical Linguistics
My theoretical work employs word-based morphology and Sign-based Construction Grammar to analyze creole language structures, contributing to debates about the nature of grammatical complexity and language universals.
Word-based Morphology in Creoles
Application of word-based morphological theory to creole languages, challenging morpheme-based approaches and examining implications for morphological theory.
Major Research Projects
NSF IRES: Documenting and Analyzing Creole Languages
NSF DLI-DEL: Advancing Linguistic Research through Speech Technologies
KreoLex Database Expansion
CREAM: Documentation des langues créoles assistée par les machines
NSF IRES: Documenting and Analyzing Creole Languages
NSF DLI-DEL: Advancing Linguistic Research through Speech Technologies
Collaborative IRES: Experimental Linguistics in the Caribbean
UB Ancestral Echoes Event Funding
UB More than a Parade Event Funding
Global Research Scholar in Residence Grant
LABEX EFL—Towards a TreeBank for Mauritian
Research Collaborators
Creolist Reading Group
UB hosts a Reading Group dedicated to research on pidgins, Creoles and contact languages that meets weekly and welcomes participants from across campus and beyond.
Sessions Alternate Between:
Research Presentations
By students, faculty and guest scholars
Collaborative Discussions
On key readings and emerging topics in the field