About

Alo! Kouman w ye? Welcome to my personal webpage! These days I’m a 5^th year PhD candidate of the Linguistics program at MIT (Course 24). By operationalizing abstract grammatical claims into testable hypotheses, my work integrates theoretical and experimental approaches in order to explore how syntax interfaces with morphology and phonology. I am especially interested in the grammars of contact and heritage languages, and much of my research thus far has looked at various dimensions of the Haitian Creole language.

Research

2025 – Spell-Out and the Distribution of ye in Haitian Creole: Talk at the Summer SPCL 2025
2025 – Haitian Creole at the Syntax-Phonology Interface: Rethinking the ki/ke Alternation: Invited Talks at Concordia University and the University of Pennsylvania
2025 – Complementizer Agreement and Verb Fronting with Doubling in Haitian Creole: Talk at LSA-SPCL 2025; Invited Talk at the University of Buffalo
2024 – Nonverbal Predicate Clefts and ye-Resumption in Haitian Creole: Poster Presentation at LSA 2024
2022 – The Effect of Vowel Height on the Nasalization of Postposed Determiners in Haitian Creole: Talk and Proceedings from NWAV 49; NWAV Student Abstract Award; Talk at SPCL 2022

Teaching & Outreach

Teaching is a big part of why I chose to pursue a career in academia. Throughout my studies, I’ve consistently sought to engage a wide range of students, from K–12 to undergraduates, in the type of research that linguists are trained to do. Programs such as MIT Splash and Come on Out Japan have given me valuable opportunities to do just that. See my CV for more details.

Why do I love sharing Linguistics so much? Well, on the one hand it’s what I know (and I don’t know much else! 😅). But also, quite obviously, language is vital to how people develop their understanding of themselves and of one other. For me this meant stumbling on an unexpected but meaningful extension of my earlier scholarly fascination with polyphony in literature (my MA thesis, 2017). Where I was once captivated by the presence of multiple voices as a poetic device in ancient texts, I now see the beauty and the value of my own diverse linguistic heritage. Linguistics also opened a door I never knew I was looking for, into profound scientific inquiry in cognitive science and bigger questions about how the mind has shaped our species. And so, through my teaching, I hope to contribute to a more curious and compassionate world, where language builds bridges, not walls. Language and Religion. Maybe both, as scientific pursuits, are at heart about making space for and learning from the voices that are too often overlooked.

CV