Ivona Kucerova

Overview

Ivona Kučerová’s core research interests lie in the field of theoretical linguistics, a subfield of cognitive sciences, but over the last three years this core research program evolved into the area of language revitalization of Indigenous languages of North America (currently funded by SSHRC’s Partnership Development Grant and New Frontiers in Research Fund). The core of the work lies in developing cognitively adequate methods for teaching adults Indigenous languages (Mohawk, Oneida, Tuscarora etc.), i.e., languages that are structurally very different from their native language (English or French), and documenting and restoring intergenerational language transmission. This work is essential as successful language revitalization has been reliably associated with better societal and health well-being outcomes within Indigenous communities. There are two natural connections to aging in this line of her research. First, successful language revitalization includes community’s Elders, and increases intergenerational mobility, language mobility and societal inclusion. Second, language revitalization technically constitutes a second language acquisition, and as such is subject to language attrition associated with aging. Kučerová’s projected research intends to investigate whether certain language revitalization methods can better offset aging attrition than other methods, how to include Elders in restoring natural intergenerational language transmission, and how to maximize language revitalization benefits over a lifespan.

Affiliations

• Professor
• Faculty of Humanities, McMaster University
• Member, McMaster Centre for Advanced Research in Experimental and Applied Linguistics, Faculty of Humanities
• Professor, Linguistics and Languages, Faculty of Humanities

Education

• MA, Charles University, Czech Republic
• PhD, Massachusetts Institute in Technology
• University College London, Division of Psychology and Language Sciences