Dr Kyle Jerro
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Email
k.jerro@essex.ac.uk -
Telephone
+44 (0) 1206 872286
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Location
4.125, Colchester Campus
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Academic support hours
Thursdays 3-5pm in 4.125
Profile
Biography
I am interested in semantics, syntax, and lexical semantics. In particular, I am interested in the question of possible verb meanings and how the meaning of a verb derives argument realization. My dissertation (completed in May 2016) investigated the interface between verb meaning and morphosyntax in Bantu languages, looking at the syntax and semantics of applicative and causative morphology. Other topics of interest are copular verbs, agreement, grammatical complexity, lexical semantic typology, tense/aspect, and motion predicates. I have conducted fieldwork in East Africa on three languages: Kinyarwanda (Rwanda), Lubukusu (Kenya), and Chichewa (Malawi). My pronouns are they/them/theirs
Qualifications
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BA University of Nevada, Las Vegas
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MA University of Texas at Austin
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PhD University of Texas at Austin,
Appointments
University of Essex
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Lecturer, Language and Linguistics, University of Essex (1/9/2018 - present)
Other academic
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Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Texas at Austin (1/5/2016 - 30/6/2017)
Research and professional activities
Research interests
Lexical Semantics
Syntax-Semantics Interface
Linguistic Typology
Bantu languages
Language Description
Semantics
Conferences and presentations
https://kylejerro.wordpress.com/presentations/
Teaching and supervision
Current teaching responsibilities
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Careers and Employability Skills for Languages and Linguistics (LA099)
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Semantics and Pragmatics: Meaning and Discourse (LG211)
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Syntax: The Structure of Sentences (LG212)
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Research methods for language and linguistics (LG213)
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World Language Structures (LG359)
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Forensic Linguistics (LG364)
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Semantics and Philosophy of Language (LG476)
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Project: Linguistics (LG831)
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Group Project: Linguistics (LG832)
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Research Methods (LG575)
Previous supervision
Degree subject: Linguistics
Degree type: Doctor of Philosophy
Awarded date: 11/2/2022
Publications
Publications (1)
Gibson, H., Jerro, KJ., Namboodiripad, S. and Riedel, K., Towards a decolonial syntax: Research, teaching, publishing
Journal articles (7)
Jerro, K., (2023). The semantics of applicativization in Kinyarwanda. Natural Language and Linguistic Theory. 41 (4), 1425-1464
Jerro, K., (2021). Applied Objects and the Syntax–Semantics Interface. Journal of Linguistics. 57 (2), 365-403
Beavers, J., Everdell, M., Jerro, K., Kauhanen, H., Koontz-Garboden, A., LeBovidge, E. and Nichols, S., (2021). States and changes-of-state: A crosslinguistic study of the roots of verbal meaning. Language. 97 (3), 439-484
Beavers, J., Everdell, M., Jerro, K., Kauhanen, H., Koontz-Garboden, A., LeBovidge, E. and Nichols, S., (2021). States and changes of state: A crosslinguistic study of the roots of verbal meaning. Language. 97 (3), 439-484
Jerro, K., (2019). Ingestive verbs, causatives, and object symmetry in Lubukusu. Linguistic Inquiry. 50 (1), 219-232
Jerro, K., (2018). Change-of-state Paradigms and the middle in Kinyarwanda. Southern African Linguistics and Applied Language Studies. 36 (3), 235-260
Jerro, K., (2017). The causative–instrumental syncretism. Journal of Linguistics. 53 (4), 751-788
Book chapters (5)
Jerro, K., Revisiting Object Symmetry in Bantu. In: The selected proceedings of the 44th Annual Conference on African Linguistics
Jerro, K., When quantifiers agree in person: Anomalous agreement in Bantu. In: Studies in the Linguistic Sciences
Gibson, H., Jerro, K., Namboodiripad, S. and Riedel, K., (2024). Towards a decolonial syntax: Research, Teaching, Publishing. In: Decolonizing Linguistics. Editors: Charity Hudley, A., Mallinson, C. and Bucholtz, M., . Oxford University Press
Jerro, K., (2017). The Locative Applicative and the semantics of verb class in Kinyarwanda. In: Diversity in African languages: Selected papers from the 46th Annual Conference on African Linguistics. Editors: Payne, DL., Pacchiarotti, S. and Bosire, M., . Language Science Press. 289- 309. 978-3-946234-71-5
Jerro, K. and Wechsler, S., (2015). Person-Marked Quantifiers in Kinyarwanda. In: Agreement from a Diachronic Perspective. Editors: Fleischer, J., Rieken, E. and Widmer, P., . Mouton De Gruyter. 147- 164. 978-3-11-039996-7
Grants and funding
2023
Sharpening the lens: Enhancing Linguistics career projects in East Africa
British Academy
Linguistic injustice and inequality in the public domain
British Academy
2018
Variation in Sesotho and Setswana as spoken in the Free State
British Academy
Contact
Academic support hours:
Thursdays 3-5pm in 4.125
