Jill Gilkerson

                                   

 

University of California, Los Angeles

Department of Linguistics

405 Hilgard Avenue

Los Angeles, CA  90095-1543

Mail code: 154302

(310) 206-8595

gilkerson@psych.ucla.edu

 

 

 

 

Research Interests

 

I am primarily concerned with the cognitive and grammatical principles that guide first and second language acquisition (SLA). My dissertation investigates whether native Spanish-speaking adults and children learning English as a second language follow the same developmental path as children acquiring English as a first language.   This research also compares adult and child SLA, investigating similarities and differences in the acquisition of English particle verbs as well as native language influence.  I am interested in whether adults have access to the acquisition principles available to children, and, if so, why this knowledge is not always reflected in their ultimate attainment.  Although my training is in generative grammar and formal linguistics, I also maintain an interest in how the formal study of language acquisition can be extended to applied linguistics and ultimately to the second language classroom.  To this end, I am interested in SLA pedagogy and computer assisted learning, especially in the acquisition of non-native contrasts and accent reduction.  

 

Education

 

2002-present        Ph.D. program in UCLA Department of Linguistics, concentration in language acquisition. 

Dissertation: Testing for UG Access: an Investigation of How Native Spanish Speakers Acquire English Particle Verbs

Expected date of Completion: January 2005

2004                      Teaching Certificate in TESOL from UCLA Department of Applied Linguistics

2002                      M.A. in Linguistics, University of California, Los Angeles,

concentration in language acquisition

MA Thesis: Infants’ Understanding of Sentential and Anaphoric Negation: A Study Using the Preferential Looking Paradigm

1995                      B.A. in Developmental Psychology, magna cum laude,

University of California, Los Angeles

 

 

 

Research Experience

 

2004                      Graduate Student Researcher, Department of Linguistics, UCLA

                             Advisor: C. Wilson, Ph.D.

2001-present        Assistant Director of the UCLA Infant Language Laboratory

2003-2004             Researcher, UCLA Dissertation Year Fellowship recipient

                             Advisor: Nina Hyams

2002-2003             Researcher, UCLA Research Mentorship Fellowship recipient

                             Advisor: Nina Hyams

Summer 2002       Researcher, UCLA Summer Research Mentorship Award recipient

                             Advisor: Colin Wilson

Summer 2001       Researcher, UCLA Summer Research Mentorship Award recipient

                             Advisor: Susan Curtiss

2000-2001             Graduate Student Researcher, Department of Linguistics, UCLA

                             Advisors: N. Hyams, Ph.D. and S. Curtiss Ph.D.

1999-2000             Graduate Student Researcher, Department of Psychology, UCLA

                             Advisor: J. Arthur Woodward, Ph.D.

1995-1999              Co-director, Producer, ThoughtMakers, Inc., Department of Psychology, UCLA

                             Advisor: J. Arthur Woodward, Ph.D.

1994-1995              Research Intern, Department of Psychology, UCLA

                             Advisors: J. Arthur Woodward, Ph.D. and Shaw-Jing Chao Ph.D.

 

 

 

Teaching Experience

 

2004 Summer       Teaching Assistant, University of California, Los Angeles

                             Linguistics 1: Introduction to the Study of Language

2004 Spring                   Student Teacher, Santa Monica Community College

                             ESL 11A: Basic English 1                          

2004 Spring                   Teaching Assistant, University of California, Los Angeles

                             Linguistics 1: Introduction to the Study of Language

2003 Spring                   Teaching Assistant, University of California, Los Angeles

                             Linguistics 20: Introduction to Linguistics

2003 Winter                   Teaching Assistant, University of California, Los Angeles

                             Linguistics C130/233: Grammatical Development

2002 Spring                   Teaching Assistant, University of California, Los Angeles

Linguistics C140/244: Bilingualism and Second Language Acquisition

2002 Winter                   Teaching Assistant, University of California, Los Angeles

                             Linguistics C135/235: Neurolinguistics

2001 Fall               Teaching Assistant, University of California, Los Angeles

Linguistics C130/233: Grammatical Development

1997 Winter                   Teaching Assistant, Santa Monica College ESL Department

                             ESL 15: Oral Communication

 

 

 

Honors and Awards             

 

2003-2004             UCLA Dissertation Year Fellowship

2002-2003             UCLA Research Mentorship Fellowship

2002                      UCLA Summer Research Mentorship Award

2001                      UCLA Summer Research Mentorship Award

2000                      University Fellowship, UCLA Department of Linguistics

1999                      University Fellowship, UCLA Department of Linguistics

1995                                                       Highest Departmental Honors, UCLA Department of Psychology

1995                      Magna Cum Laude, UCLA

1995                      College Honors, UCLA College of Letters and Science

1994-1995              UCLA Crisis Intervention Hotline Counselor

 

 

 

 

Publications

 

·        Gilkerson, J. (to appear). Categorical perception of natural and unnatural categories: Evidence for innate category boundaries. UCLA Working Papers in Linguistics: Language Development and Breakdown 2.

·        Gilkerson, J. (to appear).  Age and transfer effects in the L2 acquisition of English particle verbs. In Proceeding of the Generative Approaches to Language Acquisition North America (GALANA). University of Hawaii.

·        Gilkerson, J., N. Hyams and S. Curtiss (to appear). On the scope of negation: More evidence for early parameter setting. In Proceedings of the Generative Approaches to Language Acquisition (GALA), Utrecht, The Netherlands.

  • Berger-Morales, J., M. Salustri and J. Gilkerson. (to appear). Root infinitives in the spontaneous speech of two bilingual children: evidence for separate grammatical systems. In Cohen, J., McAlister, K., Rolstad, K., & MacSwan, J. (Eds.) ISB4: Proceedings of the 4th International Symposium on Bilingualism. Somerville, MA: Cascadilla Press.
  • Gilkerson, J., M. Becker, and N. Hyams (Eds). 2000. UCLA Working Papers in Linguistics: Language Development and Breakdown 1. Los Angeles. The Regents of the University of California.
  • Gilkerson, J. (1999). Piggy’s Birthday Present. Education software program.  Santa Cruz, California: Learning in Motion.

 

 

 

Conference Presentations

 

·        Gilkerson, J. (to appear). Age and transfer effects in the L2 acquisition of English particle verbs. 81st Meeting of the Linguistic Society of America, San Fransisco, January 2005.

·        Gilkerson, J. (to appear).  Age and transfer effects in the L2 acquisition of English particle verbs.  Generative Approaches to Language Acquisition North America (GALANA). University of Hawaii.

·        Gilkerson, J. (to appear).  The acquisition of particle verbs by native Spanish speakers. Poster Presentation, Boston University Conference on Language Development 29 (BUCLD). Boston University.

·        Gilkerson, J. (2003). Categorical perception of natural and unnatural categories: Evidence for innate category boundaries. Poster Presentation, Proceedings of the Boston University Conference on Language Development (BUCLD). Boston University.

·        Gilkerson, J., N. Hyams and S. Curtiss (2003). On the scope of negation: More evidence for early parameter setting. Generative Approaches to Language Acquisition (GALA). Utrecht, The Netherlands.

·        Berger-Morales, J., M. Salustri and J. Gilkerson. (2003). Root infinitives in the spontaneous speech of two bilingual children: evidence for separate grammatical systems. 4th International Symposium on Bilingualism.  Arizona State University.

 

 

Last updated October 22, 2004

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