Yvonne Lam, PhD, MA, BA (Hons)

Area of Study / Keywords

sociolinguistics of multilingualism language ideologies identity indigenous languages heritage languages foreign languages

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About

I hold a joint appointment in the Department of Linguistics and the Department of Modern Languages and Cultural Studies (Spanish). My PhD (2003) is in Hispanic Linguistics from the University of Toronto. In 2017, I was a visiting professor in the Masters program in Indoamerican Linguistics at the Centre for Research and Advanced Studies in Social Anthropology (CIESAS) in Mexico City.

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Research

My general area of research is the sociolinguistics of multilingualism, including indigenous languages, heritage (immigrant) languages, and foreign languages. I am interested in the social factors that influence which language(s) multilingual speakers use, particularly their language ideologies and their sense of identity. The goal of my research is to help multilingual speakers feel comfortable using their full linguistic repertoire. My projects focus on two general groups, indigenous communities in Mexico (notably the Totonac) and heritage language communities in Alberta. More recently, I began a collaboration with the Hul'q'umi'num' Language and Culture Society in Duncan, British Columbia, to understand the linguistic insecurities among Hul'q'umi'num' learners.

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Teaching

I teach a variety of senior-level undergraduate courses in Spanish language and linguistics, as well as graduate-level courses in applied linguistics. I have supervised a number of MA and PhD students on a variety of topics in second language acquisition and sociolinguistics. I have also supervised several undergraduate honours students as well as several winners of the Faculty of Arts Undergraduate Researcher Award.

LING 101 - Introduction to Linguistic Analysis

Central concepts of linguistics: linguistic categories and structure (phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics). Note: May not be taken by students with credit in LING 111.

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LING 102 - Linguistics in Action

An introduction to cross-disciplinary and applied areas in linguistics (e.g. language change, language acquisition, language in society). Pre/corequisite: LING 101.

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LING 402 - Honors Research

Research relating to a student's honors project in linguistics. Normally offered as a research practicum through special prior arrangement. Note: Required for and restricted to BA Honors students in Linguistics in their final year.

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LING 502 - Honors Project

Directed Honors thesis. Prerequisites: LING 402 and 501 and consent of Department. Note: Required for and restricted to BA Honors students in Linguistics in their final year.

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SPAN 370 - The Sounds of Spanish

Sound system of Spanish: phonetics, phonology, evolution of the language. Special attention to the pronunciation differences from English. Prerequisite: SPAN 300 or 306 or consent of Department.

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SPAN 475 - Spanish in Society

Language as a social phenomenon. Description of dialects in Spanish. Language shift, bilingualism, language attrition, code-switching and language attitudes. Prerequisites: 3 units in SPAN at the 300-level excluding 300 and 306, or consent of Department.

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Browse more courses taught by Yvonne Lam

David Beck; Yvonne Lam

Tlalocan: Revista de fuentes para el conocimiento de las culturas indígenas de México. 2020 January; XXV

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Yvonne Lam

Anthropological Linguistics. 2020 January; 62 (2):159-182

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Yvonne Lam

Canadian Journal of Applied Linguistics. 2018 January; 21 (1):1-22

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Yvonne Lam

Ichan Tecolotl: Puntos de Encuentro. 2018 January; mayo 2018

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Yvonne Lam

In P. Levy & D. Beck (Eds.), Las lenguas totonacas y tepehuas: Textos y otros materiales para su estudio. Mexico City, Mexico: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México.. 2012 January;

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Yvonne Lam

Canadian Journal of Applied Linguistics. 2010 January; 13 (2):54-72

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Yvonne Lam

Language Awareness. 2009 January; 18 (1):2-18

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Yvonne Lam

International Journal of the Sociology of Language. 2009 January; 195

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