The 9th Annual Language Sciences Undergraduate Research Conference (LSURC) will be held live and virtually on
February 27th and February 28th, 2026, LIFE 2402 & 2404
Our Plenary Speaker theme for this year is
“Endangered Languages & Language Revitalization”
Language holds stories, knowledge, and identities that shape our connections to the past, present, and future. Yet, many languages around the world face endangerment due to colonization, displacement, and systems that reduce linguistic diversity. This year, we highlight revitalization efforts to restore these languages. As we look forward to the future of language preservation, we also consider the ethics of documentation: Who controls linguistic records? How can we ensure that technology, including large language models, supports rather than harms communities? We acknowledge the vitality of Indigenous languages, the creativity of contact languages such as pidgins and creoles, and the role that schools, media, and community-led initiatives play in raising awareness and passing languages forward to the next generation. Join us in celebrating the resilience of linguistic communities and revitalization efforts to keep language and culture alive.
CONGRATULATIONS TO THIS YEAR’S WINNERS:
Oral Presentation:
First Place: Matthias Diederichsen (UBC), “Word Order in a “Free Word Order” Language: An Ojibwe Treebank Study”
Second Place: Phoenix Neuscheler (SFU), “Reduplication and Pluractionality in Javanese”
Poster Presentation:
First Place: Marija Cvetkovic, Erin Wong, Zoe Cheng (UBC), “Gestural Timing and the Emergence of Rhoticity in Memphis English /ju/”
Second Place: Mandy Moniz (UBC), “The Impact of Testing Environment on Adult Statistical Word Segmentation: An In-Person Replication of Melville”, AND Esme Yang, Lindsay De Souza, Priya Singh (UBC), “Embodied Emotion: Evidence from Vocal Tract Posture During Speech Pauses”
Interested in getting involved or collaborating? Check out Get Involved for more information or email us at ubc.lsurc@gmail.com!