Géraldine Walther

Assistant Professor

Computational Linguistics, Linguistic Typology, Language and cognition, Morphology, Language documentation

Géraldine Walther's research interests lie at the intersection between computational linguistics, linguistic typology, and cognitive science. She is investigating in the degree of internal cohesion within linguistic systems, which she researches using computational and quantitative methodologies applied to original data. The data is often directly collected as part of original language documentation enterprises. Her approach focuses specifically on system-level patterns of linguistic sub-organisation and their consequences for cognitive processing and development, as well as for diachronic change.

Before joining GMU in August 2013, Géraldine Walther was a postdoctoral researcher at the Institute for Comparative Linguistics at the University of Zurich, where she worked on an SNF research project investigating the relationship between properties of adult language structure and child language acquisition in the Romansch variety of Tuatschin (spoken by approx. 1500 speakers in the Grisons, Switzerland).

She obtained her PhD from the Université Paris Diderot in 2013.
(Thesis title: Sur la canonicité en morphologie: perspective empirique, formelle et computationnelle [On canonicity in morphology: an empirical, formal, and computational approach])

Géraldine Walther is currently developing the new computational linguistics strand within the Linguistics curriculum and setting up the new Computational Linguistics lab.

Attention students: I am looking for research assistants. If you have an interest and some expertise in applying computational methods to linguistic patterns, get in touch!

Courses Taught

Fall 2019:

LING 686: Computational Linguistics 1

LING 787: Syntax 2

Spring 2020:

LING 686: Computational Typology

LING 786: Syntax 1

Education

2013	Doctorate in Linguistics	Université Paris Diderot
2007	MA in Linguistics	INALCO Paris
2006	Agrégation externe d’allemand
2004	BA in Linguistics	Université Lumière Lyon 2
2004	BA in German Studies	Université Lumière Lyon 2 & ENS de Lyon
2003-2007	École Normale Supérieure	ENS de Lyon