YorkSpace

YorkSpace is York University's Institutional Repository. It supports York University's Senate Policy on Open Access by providing York community members with a place to preserve their research online in an institutional context.

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Communities in YorkSpace

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Recent Submissions

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    Syntactic and Discourse-Pragmatic Properties of Cantonese Question Particles maa3 and me1 in Canadian Heritage Sperakers
    (2026-08-17) Yiu, Laura; Smeets, Liz; Alboiu, Gabriela
    This study investigated syntactic and discourse-pragmatic features of Sentence Final Particles maa3 and me1 in Cantonese heritage grammars. Studies show that syntax is easier for a Heritage Speaker (HS) to acquire than properties intersecting with discursive features, and that Age of Onset (AoO) of the dominant Societal Language (SL) has influence on nativelike proficiency. We predicted that, while HSs may exhibit some minor variations according to AoO (i.e.: earlier SL onset will lead to slightly reduced target-like performance), HS usage of narrow syntax should pattern with native speakers overall, while discursive properties will be less nativelike. Participants were given an Acceptability Judgment Task (AJT) to investigate syntactic knowledge, a forced choice Picture Selection Task (PST) to investigate knowledge of discourse properties, and a Language Background Questionnaire (LBQ) to investigate non-linguistic factors of influence and confirm AoO data and speaker type. Results from Canadian Heritage speakers were compared to baseline Native Cantonese speakers. The experiment confirmed that syntactic constraints were generally target-like among HS grammars, while discursive features were less nativelike.
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    Underexplored Queer Voices: Constructing Transfeminine Identities in Toronto English
    (2026-07-30) Terry, Morgan; King, Ruth; Narayan, Chandan
    This research project will investigate whether there is phonetic variation within the transfeminine communities based on the sexuality and gender presentation of the speaker. Here, gender presentation refers to an individual’s expression of their gender identity, which often manifests through clothes, hairstyles, makeup, but the voice can also be used as a resource to express one’s gender presentation. This expression is often either an expression of femininity or masculinity; however, some people also try to express more of an androgynous or neutral gender presentation. To investigate these issues, there will be an examination of specific phonetic variables. The phonetic variation being examined in the present study will be the center of gravity for /s/, as well as the F1 and F2 formants for five vowels, which are /ɑ/, /æ/, /ɛ/, /i/, and /o/. First, an examination of the phonetic variation based on the speaker’s membership in broader social categories, like sexuality, will be examined.
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    A Phonetic Study of Vowel Mergers in Grenadian Parliamentary Speech
    (2026) Potter, Taylor C.; Kettig, Thomas; Angermeyer, Philipp
    The major aim of this project, therefore, is to conduct a quantitative sociophonetic study analysing the vowels of Grenadian MPs in the House of Representatives from the parish of Saint Andrews to understand how certain vowels pattern for speakers within a traditionally formal context and how these patterns relate to Creole and Standard varieties through the studies done on Standard Caribbean Englishes as well as those done on GEC, namely Paterson (2013). Using the available demographic and extra-linguistic features available, explanations will be put forth as to why certain patterns occur within a formal context such as parliament.
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    How to Do Things with Woofs: Examining the Use of Non-Human Vocalizations as a Genre of Non-Verbal Communication in the Queer Pup Play Kink Community
    (2026-08) McKeown, Terence; King, Ruth; Kettig, Thomas
    The present study examines one particular genre of extremely non-semantic communication: the non-human vocalizations (NHVs) of members of the queer pup play subculture. A growing object of academic study, members of this subculture are defined by their mutual engagement in pup play or puppy play, a form of (often) erotic roleplay in which one or more practitioners take on the role of a young dog (Wignall and McCormack, 2017; Wignall et al., 2022). Participants in this subculture often make active use of the vocalic mimicry of canines as a subculture-bound communicative practice.
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    Discourse Sensitivity to ay-inversion by Canada-based Heritage Speakers of Tagalog
    (2026-08) Lising, Ela Andre; Smeets, Liz
    Despite growing research on Tagalog grammar, bilingualism, and heritage language maintenance, relatively little work has examined how adult heritage Tagalog speakers evaluate and produce discourse-conditioned word order variation. The present study addresses this gap by examining how heritage and non-heritage Tagalog speakers judge and produce predicate-initial, actor and patient ay-inverted constructions in various discourse contexts. In ay-inversion, a constituent appears before the rest of the clause and is separated from it by the particle ay, functioning as an inversion marker.