Output

Publications

Kerr, Elisabeth J. (to appear). The expression of information structure in Tunen. In: van der Wal, Jenneke (ed.), The expression of information structure in Bantu. Berlin: Language Science Press.

Van der Wal, Jenneke, Allen Asiimwe, Patrick Kanampiu, Elisabeth J. Kerr, Zhen Li, Amani Lusekelo, Nelsa Nhantumbo, and Ernest Nshemezimana. (to appear). On the expression of information structure in Bantu. In: van der Wal, Jenneke (ed.), The expression of information structure in Bantu. Berlin: Language Science Press

Kerr, Elisabeth J. (to appear). On OV and VO at the Bantu/Bantoid borderlands. In: Huang, Yaqian, Nina Hagen Kaldhol, JJ Lim, Sharon Rose & Anthony Struthers-Young (eds). Selected Papers from the 53rd Annual Conference on African Linguistics. Berlin: Language Science Press.

Kerr, Elisabeth J. and Van der Wal, Jenneke. (2023). Indirect truth marking via backgrounding: evidence from Bantu. Zeitschrift für Sprachwissenschaft, 42(3), pp. 443-492. https://doi.org/10.1515/zfs-2023-2010.

Kerr, Elisabeth J., Allen Asiimwe, Patrick Kanampiu, Zhen Li, Ernest Nshemezimana, and Jenneke van der Wal (2023). Bantu word order between discourse and syntactic relations. Linguistique et Langues Africaines (LLA), 9(1). (pdf)

Kerr, Elisabeth J. (2020). The grammaticalisation of a specific indefinite determiner: Prenominal -mɔ̀tɛ́ in Tunen. In: Wal, G.J. van der, Heleen J. Smits, Sara Petrollino, Victoria A.S. Nyst, and Maarten G. Kossmann. Essays on African languages and linguistics: In honour of Maarten Mous. Leiden: African Studies Centre Leiden (ASCL). (pdf)

Kerr, Elisabeth J. (2020). (Non-)specificity and Case in Gorwaa: The -oo/-(h)ee suffix. In: Van Alem, Astrid, Mirella De Sisto, Elisabeth J. Kerr, and Joanna Wall, eds. 2020. ConSOLE XXVIII: Proceedings of the 28th Conference of the Student Organization of Linguistics in Europe (29-31 January 2020, Universitat Pompeu Fabra). Leiden: Leiden University Centre for Linguistics. (pdf)

Thesis/Dissertations

Kerr, Elisabeth J. (submitted). Tunen syntax and information structure. PhD thesis, Leiden University.

Kerr, Elisabeth J. (2018). A Dynamic Syntax account of the conjoint/disjoint alternation in Zulu. MA dissertation, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. (pdf)

Kerr, Elisabeth J. (2017). Focus marking in Ékègùsìí. BA dissertation, University of Cambridge.

Edited works

Li, Zhen, Allen Asiimwe, Patrick Kanampiu, Elisabeth J. Kerr, Ernest Nshemezimana, and Jenneke van der Wal (eds.) (2023). Bantu Universals and Variation [special issue], Linguistique et Langues Africaines (LLA), 9(1). (pdf)

Van Alem, Astrid, Mirella De Sisto, Elisabeth J. Kerr, and Joanna Wall, eds. 2020. ConSOLE XXVIII: Proceedings of the 28th Conference of the Student Organization of Linguistics in Europe (29-31 January 2020, Universitat Pompeu Fabra). Leiden: Leiden University Centre for Linguistics. (pdf)

Van Alem, Astrid, Mirella De Sisto, Elisabeth J. Kerr and Joanna Wall, eds. 2019. ConSOLE XXVII: Proceedings of the 27th Conference of the Student Organization of Linguistics in Europe (21-23 February 2019, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin). Leiden: Leiden University Centre for Linguistics. (pdf)

Talks

Upcoming

Jun 2024
25th Diachronic Generative Syntax conference (DiGS25), University of Mannheim
“The development of disharmonic clausal word order in Tunen“

Jun 2024
2nd Conference on Bantoid Languages and Linguistics (Banto2d), Université Yaoundé I
“The Mbam split subject construction” (“La construction du sujet séparé dans les langues mbam“)

May 2024
Leiden/Bielefeld Workshop on Comparative Syntax (LeiBieCos), Leiden University
“Deriving disharmonic clausal word order: Case studies from West/Central Africa“

Past

Apr 2024
18th T.W.I.S.T. Student Conference in Linguistics, Leiden University
“Reductionism in linguistic typology: Two case studies from word order variation” [keynote]

Oct 2023
Langage, langues et cultures d’Afrique (LLACAN) seminar series, CNRS-LLACAN
“OV in Bantu: The syntax of Tunen” (abstract)(slides/datasheet)

Sep 2023
Syntax Interface Lecture Series, Utrecht University
“When object movement splits the noun phrase” (abstract)(handout)

Jun 2023
54th Annual Conference on African Languages and Linguistics (ACAL54), University of Connecticut
“Analysing discontinuous DPs in Tunen: Contiguity violations not driven by IS?(abstract)(slides)

Jun 2023
54th Annual Conference on African Languages and Linguistics (ACAL54), University of Connecticut
“Indirect truth marking via backgrounding: Evidence from Bantu” [with Jenneke van der Wal] (abstract)

Jun 2023
Bantu Syntax and Information Structure (BaSIS) Conference, Leiden University
“The (non-)influence of information structure on Tunen syntax” (abstract) (slides)

Jun 2023
Bantu Syntax and Information Structure (BaSIS) Conference, Leiden University
“Bantu word order between discourse and syntactic relations” [with Allen Asiimwe, Patrick Kanampiu, Ernest Nshemezimana, Zhen Li & Jenneke van der Wal] (abstract)

Mar 2023
Comparative Syntax (ComSyn) series, Leiden University
“Tunen syntax within a structural typology of Aux-O-V word orders” (handout)

Mar 2023
SyntaxLab, University of Cambridge
“Analysing Aux-O-V disharmony in Niger-Congo: The case of Tunen” (handout)

Dec 2022
Syntax-Semantics Colloquium, Potsdam University
“Derivations of disharmony: Mixed clausal headedness in West/Central Africa“

Nov 2022
African Linguistics Colloquium, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
“Deriving S-Aux-O-V-X word orders in West/Central Africa“

Aug 2022
52nd Colloquium on African Languages and Linguistics (CALL52), Leiden University
“Indirect truth marking in 10 Bantu languages” [with Jenneke van der Wal] (slides + appendix)

Aug 2022
52nd Colloquium on African Languages and Linguistics (CALL52), Leiden University
“Tracking referents in Tunen texts“

Aug 2022
55th Annual Meeting of the Societas Linguistica Europaea (SLE), University of Bucharest
“Indirect truth marking in 10 Bantu languages” [with Jenneke van der Wal] (slides + appendix)

Jun 2022
9th International Conference on Bantu Languages (Bantu9), Malawi University of Science and Technology
“Indirect verum marking in 10 Bantu languages” [with Jenneke van der Wal] (slides + appendix)

Jun 2022
9th International Conference on Bantu Languages (Bantu9), Malawi University of Science and Technology
“Tracking referents in Tunen texts”

Apr 2022
53rd Annual Conference on African Linguistics (ACAL53), University of California San Diego
“On OV and VO at the Bantu/Bantoid borderlands” (slides + handout)

Apr 2022
LUCL PhD Symposium, Leiden University
“Rethinking word order typology and some implications for theoretical syntax“

Mar 2022
1st Conference on Bantoid Languages and Linguistics (Banto1d), University of Hamburg
“On OV and VO at the Bantu/Bantoid borderlands” (slides + handout)

Aug 2021
2nd Conference of the Language Association of Eastern Africa (LAEA2), University of Eldoret
“Collaborative linguistics: Experiences from the BaSIS project” [keynote; co-presented with BaSIS team members]

Aug 2021
2nd Conference of the Language Association of Eastern Africa (LAEA2), University of Eldoret
“Investigating focus marking in Kenyan Bantu“

Jun 2021
10th World Congress of African Linguistics (WOCAL10), Leiden University
“Discontinuous DPs in Tunen“

Jun 2021
10th World Congress of African Linguistics (WOCAL10), Leiden University
“Bantu word order between discourse and syntactic relations” [with Allen Asiimwe, Patrick Kanampiu, Zhen Li & Jenneke van der Wal] (handout + recording)

Jun 2021
8th International Conference on Bantu Languages (Bantu8), University of Essex
“Bare nouns and specificity disambiguation in Tunen” (handout)

Apr 2021
51st & 52nd Annual Conference on African Linguistics (ACAL51-52), University of Florida
“Bantu word order between discourse and syntactic relations” [with Allen Asiimwe, Patrick Kanampiu, Zhen Li & Jenneke van der Wal] (handout + recording)

Nov 2020
LUCL PhD Symposium, Leiden University
“The grammar of discontinuity“

Aug 2020
50th Colloquium on African Languages and Linguistics (CALL50), Leiden University
“á, à, ɔ́, ɔ̀, ə́, nà … nà: A puzzle in Tunen“

Jan 2020
28th Conference of the Student Organization of Linguistics in Europe (ConSOLE28), Universitat Pompeu Fabreu
“(non- )specificity marking in Gorwaa” [Poster presentation] (pdf) (see above for paper)

Nov 2019
Comparative Syntax (ComSyn) series, Leiden University
“Clefts in Tunen: A biclausal account” (abstract)

Nov 2019
LUCL PhD Symposium, Leiden University
“Diagnosing cleft structures in Tunen“

Nov 2019
Bantu Syntax and Information Structure (BaSIS) brainstorm, Leiden University
“Dative database“
“Objects in Tunen“
“Case diagnostics” [co-presented with BaSIS team]
“Word order” [co-presented with BaSIS team]

Aug 2019
49th Colloquium on African Languages and Linguistics (CALL49), Leiden University
“Specificity in Tunen”

Jul 2019
LOT summer school 2019, University of Utrecht
“Tunen numerals and specificity” [Poster presentation] (pdf)

Nov 2018
LUCL PhD Symposium, Leiden University
“Bantu Syntax and Information Structure: Tunen and Téké” [co-presented with Zhen Li, Leiden University]

May 2018
British Association of Applied Linguistics (BAAL) Language in Africa Special Interest Group (LIASIG) Conference, SOAS, University of London
“African languages in digital spaces: Automatic textual analysis of a low-resource mixed language” [co-presented with Gladys W. H. Tyen, University of Cambridge Computer Laboratory]

Apr 2018
2nd Dynamic Syntax Conference, University of Edinburgh
“Parsing the Bantu verb: The conjoint/disjoint alternation in Dynamic Syntax“

Nov 2017
Studentische Tagung Sprachwissenschaft (StuTS) 62, Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen
“Fokus in Ékègùsìí und weiteren Bantusprachen aus Kenia” [in German]

Apr 2017
Undergraduate Linguistics Association of Britain (ULAB) 7, University of Cambridge
“I doing was fieldwork: Focus and V-Aux order in Ékègùsìí”

Apr 2016
Undergraduate Linguistics Association of Britain (ULAB) 6, University of Aberdeen
“Pronoun behaviour in Ékègùsìí, a Bantu language of South-West Kenya”

Other

Dative database software tutorial