Arlee Jade Kastner
Arlee Jade Kastner
Graduate Research Assistant
Language Documentation and Revitalization, Morphosyntax, Syntax, Pragmatics, and Applied Linguistics
Arlee Jade Kastner is a Ph.D candidate in the linguistics program. Arlee's main research interests lie in understanding the ways in which syntax and pragmatics interact to create structural variation within a language, particularly with regard to polysynthetic languages, with a goal of transforming theory and linguistic descriptions into classroom-friendly "rules" or "guidelines" to help learners during revitalization.
By observing the interactions of syntax and pragmatics in Indigenous languages, Arlee hopes to aid in the creation of pedagogical methods for preserving and learning the variable word orders often present in Indigenous American languages. Current dissertation work focuses on observing patterns in Akuzipik syntax for common pragmatic contexts associated with different orders.
Current Research
An analysis of pragmatic word order in Akuzipik, wh-movement in Hawrami Kurdish, and the pedagogical treatment of phrasal verb syntax in ESL classrooms.
Selected Publications
A Pragmatic Analysis of Word Order in Akuzipik Narrative Discourse, Proceedings of the Workshop on American Indigenous Languages 26
Patterns of Distribution of Noun Case Frequency, GMU Working Papers in Language and Linguistics
Anime Japanese and Nickname Formation Constraints: Comparing Standard Language to Media Language, GMU Working Papers in Language and Linguistics
Grants and Fellowships
Presidential Fellowship (Fall 2021- Summer 2025)
Education
2021 - M.A., English: Linguistics, George Mason University
2018 - B.A., French Language & Literature; Linguistics, University of Mary Washington
Recent Presentations
The Roles of Referentiality and Topicality in Akuzipik Syntax, Workshop on American Indigenous Languages 27, May 2025. Presentation.
A Pragmatic Analysis of Akuzipik Narrative Discourse, Symposium About Language and Society at Austin XXIX, January 2025. Presentation.
A Pragmatic Analysis of Akuzipik Narrative Discourse, Workshop on American Indigenous Languages 26, May 2024. Presentation.
A Pragmatic Analysis of Akuzipik Narrative Discourse, Mason Graduate Interdisciplinary Conference, April 2024. Presentation.
Phrasal Verb Syntax in the ESL Classroom: A Diagnostic for Separable Particles, TESOL and Applied Linguistics Graduate Student Conference, February 2024. Presentation.
Is It Funnier to Be Rude? Grammatical Politeness in Japanese Comedy, 14th Symposium for Linguistic Politeness, July 2023. Presentation.
Is It Funnier to Be Rude? Grammatical Politeness in Japanese Comedy, Mason Graduate Interdisciplinary Conference, March 2023. Poster.
Acquisition of Verbal Argument Structures in French, First Language Acquisition Mini-Conference, December 2019. Poster.
The Revitalization of Ainu in Japan, ELC Kemp Symposium, April 2018. Presentation.