The Department of Linguistics, Languages, and Cultures houses a number of exciting labs and projects. Led by LiLaC faculty members, these labs and projects not only conduct cutting-edge research, but also allow undergraduate and graduate students to participate in and contribute to faculty research. Please check back frequently for more information and updates.
LiLaC Projects
Graphic Narratives Network
The Graphic Narratives Network (GNN) is a collaborative research initiative at Michigan State University founded by faculty members in German, French and Francophone, and Japanese Studies and in Art, Art History, and Design with a shared interest in text-image studies. It enables an interdisciplinary group of scholars to work collaboratively on topics related to graphic narration in its various forms: comics, graphic novels, photo-essays, animation, and film.
Real music for Leaning the English Language
L-Pop is a free collection of songs and lessons for students learning English at any proficiency level. The songs are catchy and radio-friendly and cover different musical genres, including pop, rock, and country. Best of all, each song targets a particular English grammar issue.
All L-Pop materials, including songs, videos, and lesson plans, are FREE for teachers and students.
MI Diaries
The MI Diaries Project (based out of the MSU Sociolinguistics Lab) is documenting changes in the lives and language of people living in Michigan. Across the state, kids, teens, and adults send us ‘audio diaries’ in response to new prompts the we send each week to the diarists! These audio diaries will help us to answer questions about how and why language changes over time.
LiLaC Labs
Language Acquisition Lab
The Language Acquisition Lab focuses on research about how young children learn their first languages.
MLC Psycholinguistics Lab
The Minimalism, Learning, and Computational (MLC) Psycholinguistics Lab asks questions about the computational nature of structure building operations in language and how language learners acquire them via learning algorithms.
PhonoGroup
The PhonoGroup specializes in research on the phonology and phonetics of human languages using a variety of experimental techniques.
Semantics-Pragmatics Lab
The Semantics-Pragmatics Lab focuses on semantics, pragmatics, and how linguistic meaning works by investigating what words mean, how meanings are built up into sentences, how people interpret sentences in context, and how people manage to unconsciously know all this stuff.
Sociolinguistics Lab
The Sociolinguistics Lab conducts research and hosts discussion groups on language variation and language change in its social context. The lab holds regular lab meetings in Fall and Spring semesters, in addition to activities and meetings associated with their research projects.
The Eye-Tracking Labs
A collaborative space for student and faculty research on the cognitive underpinnings of language acquisition, instruction, and assessment. Equipped with state-of-the-art eye-tracking equipment in the 2nd floor of Wells Hall (the Eye-Link Lab) and the 4th floor of Wells (the Tobii Lab).
Language Policy and Practice Lab
The Language Policy and Practice Lab is a new lab within Michigan State University’s Department of Linguistics, Languages, and Cultures. The mission of the lab is to create a space for students and faculty who share an interest in language policy, and policy practices, to share research and resources.
Multilingual Lab
The Multilingual Lab conducts and supports scholarly work that explores both the benefits of multilingualism, as well as the social challenges that are faced by many multilingual and marginalized communities. The Lab explores multilingual topics from interdisciplinary perspectives.
The Second Language Studies Corpus Lab
A space for collaborative work related to corpus linguistics. It shares work related to a wide variety of research areas including but not limited to second language acquisition and use, second language writing, language varieties, and text analysis.
Second Language Assessment and Curriclum (SLAC) Lab
An environment in which students and faculty can research assessment and curricular designs, and factors that influence testing and teaching. The lab is housed in a data-collection computer room on the 4th floor of Wells Hall.
Graphic Narratives Network
The Graphic Narratives Network (GNN) is a collaborative research initiative at Michigan State University founded by faculty members in German, French and Francophone, and Japanese Studies and in Art, Art History, and Design with a shared interest in text-image studies. It enables an interdisciplinary group of scholars to work collaboratively on topics related to graphic narration in its various forms: comics, graphic novels, photo-essays, animation, and film.
Language Acquisition Lab
The Language Acquisition Lab focuses on research about how young children learn their first languages.
Minimalism, Learning, and Computational Psycholinguistics Lab
The Minimalism, Learning, and Computational (MLC) Psycholinguistics Lab asks questions about the computational nature of structure building operations in language and how language learners acquire them via learning algorithms.
MI Diaries
The MI Diaries Project (based out of the MSU Sociolinguistics Lab) is documenting changes in the lives and language of people living in Michigan. Across the state, kids, teens, and adults send us ‘audio diaries’ in response to new prompts the we send each week to the diarists! These audio diaries will help us to answer questions about how and why language changes over time.
Phonology and Phonetics Group
The PhonoGroup specializes in research on the phonology and phonetics of human languages using a variety of experimental techniques.
Semantics-Pragmatics Lab
The Semantics-Pragmatics Lab focuses on semantics, pragmatics, and how linguistic meaning works by investigating what words mean, how meanings are built up into sentences, how people interpret sentences in context, and how people manage to unconsciously know all this stuff. Website coming soon!
Sociolinguistics Lab
The Sociolinguistics Lab conducts research and hosts discussion groups on language variation and language change in its social context. The lab holds regular lab meetings in Fall and Spring semesters, in addition to activities and meetings associated with their research projects.
The Eye-Tracking Labs
A collaborative space for student and faculty research on the cognitive underpinnings of language acquisition, instruction, and assessment. Equipped with state-of-the-art eye-tracking equipment in the 2nd floor of Wells Hall (the Eye-Link Lab) & the 4th floor of Wells (the Tobii Lab).
Language Policy and Practice Lab
The Language Policy and Practice Lab is a new lab within Michigan State University’s Department of Linguistics, Languages, and Cultures. The mission of the lab is to create a space for students and faculty who share an interest in language policy, and policy practices, to share research and resources.
Multilingual Lab
The Multilingual Lab conducts and supports scholarly work that explores both the benefits of multilingualism, as well as the social challenges that are faced by many multilingual and marginalized communities. The Lab explores multilingual topics from interdisciplinary perspectives. Website coming soon!
The Second Language Studies Corpus Lab
A space for collaborative work related to corpus linguistics. It shares work related to a wide variety of research areas including but not limited to second language acquisition and use, second language writing, language varieties, and text analysis.
Second Language Assessment and Curriculum (SLAC) Lab
An environment in which students and faculty can research assessment and curricular designs, and factors that influence testing and teaching. The lab is housed in a data-collection computer room on the 4th floor of Wells Hall.