Language Sciences
Co-director, Wisconsin Indigenous Languages Lab
Story: Visit to the Wi Indigenous Languages Lab
Education
Ph.D., Linguistics, University of Hawaiʻi
M.A., Linguistics, University of Hawaiʻi
M.A., Communication, University of Illinois
B.A., Philosophy, Southern Illinois University
Research Statement
Ryan’s research centers on the vitality of the Indigenous languages of North America, where he primarily works at the intersection of first language acquisition, language documentation and description, and language revitalization. His research program is dedicated to understanding how speakers use these languages, how young children and learners acquire them, and how best to use this knowledge to inform science and community-grounded language efforts. Much of his work has centered on East Cree, an Algonquian language spoken in Eeyou Istchee territory in Northern Québec, Canada.
Teaching
Ling 101: Human Language
Anthro/Ling 301: Introduction to Linguistics: Descriptive and Theoretical
Ling 322: Morphology
Ling 373: Topics in Linguistics: Topics in the Child Acquisition of Indigenous Languages
Ling 522: Advanced Morphology
Ling 571: Structure of a Language – Northern East Cree
Ling 690: Capstone in Linguistics – Language Endangerment: Responses to a Worldwide Crisis
Ling 800: Research Methods & Materials
Ling 977: Seminar – Language Endangerment, Documentation, & Revitalization
Selected Works
2025. Frequency, perceptual salience, and semantic complexity: The acquisition of possessor inflection in Northern East Cree. Journal of Child Language 52(4), 861–891 and A1–A5.
2024. The acquisition of the passive voice in Northern East Cree. First Language 44(1), 44–73 and A1–A9. (with Julie Brittain, Kamil U. Deen, & Sara Acton)
2023. Rules and exceptions: A Tolerance Principle account of the possessive suffix in Northern East Cree. Journal of Child Language 50(5), 1119–1154 and A1–A12.
2022. Obviative demonstratives in Northern East Cree: Insights from child-directed speech. International Journal of American Linguistics 88(1), 53–93. (with Julie Brittain.)
2020. The first language acquisition of nominal inflection in Northern East Cree: Possessives and nouns. Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.
2019. The development of possession in the L1 acquisition of Northern East Cree. Journal of Child Language 46, 980–997.
2016. A brief history of archiving in language documentation, with an annotated bibliography. Language Documentation & Conservation 10, 411–457. (with Andrea L. Berez-Kroeker.)