About me
Hi! I'm Emma (she/her). I am a third year PhD student in the Department of Linguistics at Northwestern University.
My primary interests are in sociolinguistics and sociophonetics— I want to know how we convey and interpret social meaning through language, and particularly through the sounds and signs of language. Some areas in sociolinguistics I am particularly interested in include the race and place intersection, Asian American communities' linguistic practices, and mixed race individuals' speech.
I just completed my Qualifying Project, which was a case study investigating contextual variation in a mixed Asian and white Chicagoan's production of vowels associated with Chicagoan place identity and pan-Asian ethnic identity. Currently, I am developing my Dissertation Prospectus, which will investigate social and linguistic variation among Chicagoland Japanese Americans. I am advised by Annette D'Onofrio.
In my free time, I enjoy knitting, baking, and exploring national parks.
Research projects
My Qualifying Project was a case study on a mixed Asian and white Chicagoan and investigated their production of the TRAP vowel across two interviews and three self-recorded conversations. My Dissertation Thesis will investigate social and linguistic variation in Chicago-area Japanese Americans, examining their production of Chicago-associated vowels and Japanese American-associated vowels. During the Spring 2025 quarter, I am a Research Assistant for the Chicagoland Language Project, which investigates language and life in the Chicagoland area.
I attend research meetings for Sociogroup and Phonatics, and I am a frequent attendee/guest of Experimental Meaning Group and LingMechLab.
Contact Me
You can email me at ekwilkinson[at]u[dot]northwestern[dot]edu