Maryellen MacDonald
@maryellenmacdonald.bsky.social
Psycholinguist, author of MORE THAN WORDS (Avery/PenguinRH). https://www.maryellenmacdonald.com/
Pinned
More Than Words by Maryellen MacDonald, PhD: 9780593545270 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books
"This beautifully written book by Maryellen MacDonald demonstrates how 'word-work' shapes both our experience of the world and the very brain that produced our capacity to articulate and generate our ...
www.penguinrandomhouse.com
Thrilled to announce that my book MORE THAN WORDS (Avery/Penguin Random House) is out! It explains why language production has huge positive effects on talkers: attention, emotion regulation, exec function & more. Accessible science for general audiences! www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/724046...
PSA: Put the laundry away after you fold it.
November 19, 2025 at 5:23 PM
PSA: Put the laundry away after you fold it.
Profs, consider reading a science trade book w undergrads in your lab! Ugrads may get lost in the specificity of a lab's research questions, and a book can provide a bigger picture. Suitable language books include my book & ones by @michaelerard.bsky.social, @juliesedivy.bsky.social, Viorica Marian
November 15, 2025 at 4:49 PM
Profs, consider reading a science trade book w undergrads in your lab! Ugrads may get lost in the specificity of a lab's research questions, and a book can provide a bigger picture. Suitable language books include my book & ones by @michaelerard.bsky.social, @juliesedivy.bsky.social, Viorica Marian
Reposted by Maryellen MacDonald
Hey. The fragmentation of the social media landscape has been hard on indie #scicomm 🧪 projects
So if you'd like to follow a podcast that's enthusiastic about #linguistics, could you check out @lingthusiasm.bsky.social?
And if you think your followers might like to, could you give this a repost?
So if you'd like to follow a podcast that's enthusiastic about #linguistics, could you check out @lingthusiasm.bsky.social?
And if you think your followers might like to, could you give this a repost?
September 27, 2025 at 2:50 PM
Hey. The fragmentation of the social media landscape has been hard on indie #scicomm 🧪 projects
So if you'd like to follow a podcast that's enthusiastic about #linguistics, could you check out @lingthusiasm.bsky.social?
And if you think your followers might like to, could you give this a repost?
So if you'd like to follow a podcast that's enthusiastic about #linguistics, could you check out @lingthusiasm.bsky.social?
And if you think your followers might like to, could you give this a repost?
Reposted by Maryellen MacDonald
Learning the moment-to-moment, fast-paced dance of turn-taking in conversation is tricky. Imme, Maartje, Middy and I show how 2 year old (Dutch) kids track pronoun use to predict who is gonna speak next in an interaction. Just published in JECP. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
From age two, children use pronouns to predict who will speak next in conversation
Children’s exposure to language is shaped by interactional needs in conversation. Prior research has largely focused on how such language influences w…
www.sciencedirect.com
September 25, 2025 at 2:58 PM
Learning the moment-to-moment, fast-paced dance of turn-taking in conversation is tricky. Imme, Maartje, Middy and I show how 2 year old (Dutch) kids track pronoun use to predict who is gonna speak next in an interaction. Just published in JECP. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Reposted by Maryellen MacDonald
"The models are trained on three dialogue corpora in English and Japanese, where backchannels and fillers are preserved and annotated, to investigate how fine-tuning can help LMs learn their representations."
arxiv.org/abs/2509.20237
arxiv.org/abs/2509.20237
Investigating the Representation of Backchannels and Fillers in Fine-tuned Language Models
Backchannels and fillers are important linguistic expressions in dialogue, but are under-represented in modern transformer-based language models (LMs). Our work studies the representation of them in l...
arxiv.org
September 25, 2025 at 11:22 AM
"The models are trained on three dialogue corpora in English and Japanese, where backchannels and fillers are preserved and annotated, to investigate how fine-tuning can help LMs learn their representations."
arxiv.org/abs/2509.20237
arxiv.org/abs/2509.20237
Reposted by Maryellen MacDonald
In a new paper, Mike Tanenhaus and I articulate the rationale behind different experimental tasks in the visual world paradigm and give recommendations for future studies. “Rethinking task importance in the Visual World Paradigm“ (Brain Research, in press). pure.mpg.de/rest/items/i...
pure.mpg.de
September 25, 2025 at 12:13 PM
In a new paper, Mike Tanenhaus and I articulate the rationale behind different experimental tasks in the visual world paradigm and give recommendations for future studies. “Rethinking task importance in the Visual World Paradigm“ (Brain Research, in press). pure.mpg.de/rest/items/i...
Reposted by Maryellen MacDonald
Curious about the human ability to extract regularities from sensory input (i.e., “statistical learning”) and individual differences therein? #CognitiveScience #Learning
Our #Consensus paper presents the collective insights of 27 researchers worldwide 🌎 💬 🌍 💬 🌏 💬:
🔗 doi.org/10.31234/osf...
Our #Consensus paper presents the collective insights of 27 researchers worldwide 🌎 💬 🌍 💬 🌏 💬:
🔗 doi.org/10.31234/osf...
September 24, 2025 at 8:02 AM
Curious about the human ability to extract regularities from sensory input (i.e., “statistical learning”) and individual differences therein? #CognitiveScience #Learning
Our #Consensus paper presents the collective insights of 27 researchers worldwide 🌎 💬 🌍 💬 🌏 💬:
🔗 doi.org/10.31234/osf...
Our #Consensus paper presents the collective insights of 27 researchers worldwide 🌎 💬 🌍 💬 🌏 💬:
🔗 doi.org/10.31234/osf...
Reposted by Maryellen MacDonald
New chapter on sentence production in "Speaking: The Free Book" bookdown.org/v_piai_resea... beautifully written by @drlearnasaurus.bsky.social Go check, very useful resource for free (!) for teaching & initiating folks on topic of language production (usually missing from textbooks on "language"!)
bookdown.org
September 24, 2025 at 12:21 PM
New chapter on sentence production in "Speaking: The Free Book" bookdown.org/v_piai_resea... beautifully written by @drlearnasaurus.bsky.social Go check, very useful resource for free (!) for teaching & initiating folks on topic of language production (usually missing from textbooks on "language"!)
So fun to talk about talking with @kleonard.bsky.social of Chicago's The Second City Improv on the "Getting to Yes, And" Podcast. A wonderful discussion about the value of talking, listening, comedy, improvisation! On the podcast apps or here on YouTube www.youtube.com/watch?v=MElx...
Master The Art Of Talking With Anyone Easily
YouTube video by Yes, And The Second City
www.youtube.com
September 24, 2025 at 12:32 PM
So fun to talk about talking with @kleonard.bsky.social of Chicago's The Second City Improv on the "Getting to Yes, And" Podcast. A wonderful discussion about the value of talking, listening, comedy, improvisation! On the podcast apps or here on YouTube www.youtube.com/watch?v=MElx...
Reposted by Maryellen MacDonald
New paper: We argue that linearization in language production is a foraging process, with speakers navigating semantic and spatial clusters. Lead author: Karina Tachihara, former UC Davis postdoc, now faculty at UIUC!
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Planning to be incremental: Scene descriptions reveal meaningful clustering in language production
How do speakers plan complex descriptions and then execute those plans? In this work, we attempt to answer this question by asking subjects to describ…
www.sciencedirect.com
September 22, 2025 at 10:44 PM
New paper: We argue that linearization in language production is a foraging process, with speakers navigating semantic and spatial clusters. Lead author: Karina Tachihara, former UC Davis postdoc, now faculty at UIUC!
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Reposted by Maryellen MacDonald
The Linguistics Department at the University of Florida has an opening for a lecturer in General Linguistics, starting Fall 2026. Come join our team!
explore.jobs.ufl.edu/en-us/job/53...
explore.jobs.ufl.edu/en-us/job/53...
University of Florida - Details - LECTURER
explore.jobs.ufl.edu
September 13, 2025 at 8:20 PM
The Linguistics Department at the University of Florida has an opening for a lecturer in General Linguistics, starting Fall 2026. Come join our team!
explore.jobs.ufl.edu/en-us/job/53...
explore.jobs.ufl.edu/en-us/job/53...
Reposted by Maryellen MacDonald
UCDavis Psych is hiring an Assistant Professor in Human Cognition or Cognitive Neuroscience 🧠✨
Come join a vibrant, collaborative dept and live in a fun college town near Sacramento, San Francisco, Napa, and Lake Tahoe. Applications due Oct.21.
Please share widely!
recruit.ucdavis.edu/JPF07300
Come join a vibrant, collaborative dept and live in a fun college town near Sacramento, San Francisco, Napa, and Lake Tahoe. Applications due Oct.21.
Please share widely!
recruit.ucdavis.edu/JPF07300
Assistant Professor of Psychology - Human Cognition or Cognitive Neuroscience
University of California, Davis is hiring. Apply now!
recruit.ucdavis.edu
September 8, 2025 at 8:57 PM
UCDavis Psych is hiring an Assistant Professor in Human Cognition or Cognitive Neuroscience 🧠✨
Come join a vibrant, collaborative dept and live in a fun college town near Sacramento, San Francisco, Napa, and Lake Tahoe. Applications due Oct.21.
Please share widely!
recruit.ucdavis.edu/JPF07300
Come join a vibrant, collaborative dept and live in a fun college town near Sacramento, San Francisco, Napa, and Lake Tahoe. Applications due Oct.21.
Please share widely!
recruit.ucdavis.edu/JPF07300
Aislinn Keogh @mandolinguist.bsky.social gave my new book to her mother to help her understand some of Aislinn's research area. Her mother is in a book-crochet group; she loved the book so much that she made a blanket (aka granny) square inspired by the book cover! This is so fantastic and touching!
September 2, 2025 at 3:14 PM
Aislinn Keogh @mandolinguist.bsky.social gave my new book to her mother to help her understand some of Aislinn's research area. Her mother is in a book-crochet group; she loved the book so much that she made a blanket (aka granny) square inspired by the book cover! This is so fantastic and touching!
Nice study on the value of science communication!
📣 New preprint from the SCIMaP team!
Across three studies, we show that communicating the economic impact of NIH funding cuts—especially with interactive quizzes and maps—decreases approval and motivates action to oppose the cuts, across the political spectrum. 🧵 1/8
osf.io/preprints/ps...
Across three studies, we show that communicating the economic impact of NIH funding cuts—especially with interactive quizzes and maps—decreases approval and motivates action to oppose the cuts, across the political spectrum. 🧵 1/8
osf.io/preprints/ps...
OSF
osf.io
August 26, 2025 at 4:54 PM
Nice study on the value of science communication!
The Second City improv theater conducts improv exercises helping police attend to *all* of what people say. Though we can sometimes predict final words, the ends of utterances are where speakers put important NEW info. That's the how talk-planning works! tucson.com/news/nation-...
Comedy and crime fighting join forces for police learning leadership skills
Officials at the University of Chicago Crime Lab's Policing Leadership Academy brought in members of storied improv theater The Second City to teach police leaders the skills found in improv.
tucson.com
August 26, 2025 at 4:52 PM
The Second City improv theater conducts improv exercises helping police attend to *all* of what people say. Though we can sometimes predict final words, the ends of utterances are where speakers put important NEW info. That's the how talk-planning works! tucson.com/news/nation-...
Example of how comprehenders have time and capacity to predict producers' ends of utterances imgs.xkcd.com/comics/predi...
imgs.xkcd.com/comics/predi...
imgs.xkcd.com/comics/predi...
August 25, 2025 at 4:17 PM
Example of how comprehenders have time and capacity to predict producers' ends of utterances imgs.xkcd.com/comics/predi...
imgs.xkcd.com/comics/predi...
imgs.xkcd.com/comics/predi...
Teachers are so underpaid, overworked, and underappreciated that it's a textbook(!) case for humor. www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/if-...
If People Talked to Other Professionals the Way They Talk to Teachers
“Ah, a zookeeper. So, you just babysit the animals all day?”
- - -
“My colon never acts this way at home. Are you sure you’re reading the colonosco...
www.mcsweeneys.net
August 24, 2025 at 4:01 PM
Teachers are so underpaid, overworked, and underappreciated that it's a textbook(!) case for humor. www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/if-...
A common response to "Thank you" is "No worries!" or "No problem!" in many English-speaking areas these days. But in Oregon, where I'm attending @lsa2025uo.bsky.social, the overwhelming response to "thank you" is "Of course!" Where else is the "of course!" dialect?
August 4, 2025 at 3:22 AM
A common response to "Thank you" is "No worries!" or "No problem!" in many English-speaking areas these days. But in Oregon, where I'm attending @lsa2025uo.bsky.social, the overwhelming response to "thank you" is "Of course!" Where else is the "of course!" dialect?
Just taught my first class at the 2025 Linguistics Soc of America Summer Institute, at U Oregon, @lsa2025uo.bsky.social. I haven't taught since 2023. I forgot to use a microphone and to mention assorted housekeeping stuff at the start, but the class itself was fun, fun, fun! At least to me.
July 25, 2025 at 3:59 AM
Just taught my first class at the 2025 Linguistics Soc of America Summer Institute, at U Oregon, @lsa2025uo.bsky.social. I haven't taught since 2023. I forgot to use a microphone and to mention assorted housekeeping stuff at the start, but the class itself was fun, fun, fun! At least to me.
So fun to talk about talking on the Talk Nerdy podcast! We talked science communication, adults' talking to and writing for boys vs. girls, talking and learning in school, and more. www.carasantamaria.com/podcast/mary...
More Than Words w/ Maryellen MacDonald
In this episode of Talk Nerdy, Cara is joined by psycholinguist and Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Language Sciences at the University of Wisconsin−Madison, Dr. Maryellen MacDonald. They discuss...
www.carasantamaria.com
July 24, 2025 at 1:34 PM
So fun to talk about talking on the Talk Nerdy podcast! We talked science communication, adults' talking to and writing for boys vs. girls, talking and learning in school, and more. www.carasantamaria.com/podcast/mary...
And you don’t need a spoon
July 21, 2025 at 6:55 PM
And you don’t need a spoon
Reposted by Maryellen MacDonald
While #ISHPSSB2025 is underway, I'd just like to draw attention to an opportunity at University of Vienna @univie.ac.at for international researchers: senior & early-career fellowships at the new #Vienna Center for Advanced Studies #ViCAS vicas.univie.ac.at
Deadline: Sept 1, 2025. Please apply!
Deadline: Sept 1, 2025. Please apply!
Center for Advanced Studies
Center for Advanced Studies
vicas.univie.ac.at
July 20, 2025 at 6:26 PM
While #ISHPSSB2025 is underway, I'd just like to draw attention to an opportunity at University of Vienna @univie.ac.at for international researchers: senior & early-career fellowships at the new #Vienna Center for Advanced Studies #ViCAS vicas.univie.ac.at
Deadline: Sept 1, 2025. Please apply!
Deadline: Sept 1, 2025. Please apply!
Reposted by Maryellen MacDonald
📣 We are hiring! 📣
#BCBL has new PhD positions available for you!
🔸 1 PhD – #Neurolinguistics and #Aphasia Group
🔸 1 PhD – #PerceptualInference Group
🔸 1 PhD – #BrainRhythms and #Cognition Group
The application deadline is soon!
+info 👇
www.bcbl.eu/es/unete-a-n...
#BCBL has new PhD positions available for you!
🔸 1 PhD – #Neurolinguistics and #Aphasia Group
🔸 1 PhD – #PerceptualInference Group
🔸 1 PhD – #BrainRhythms and #Cognition Group
The application deadline is soon!
+info 👇
www.bcbl.eu/es/unete-a-n...
July 18, 2025 at 11:18 AM
📣 We are hiring! 📣
#BCBL has new PhD positions available for you!
🔸 1 PhD – #Neurolinguistics and #Aphasia Group
🔸 1 PhD – #PerceptualInference Group
🔸 1 PhD – #BrainRhythms and #Cognition Group
The application deadline is soon!
+info 👇
www.bcbl.eu/es/unete-a-n...
#BCBL has new PhD positions available for you!
🔸 1 PhD – #Neurolinguistics and #Aphasia Group
🔸 1 PhD – #PerceptualInference Group
🔸 1 PhD – #BrainRhythms and #Cognition Group
The application deadline is soon!
+info 👇
www.bcbl.eu/es/unete-a-n...
The ruling here seems to put huge burdens on bilinguals to switch languages rapidly for one interlocutor in a context of many other people nearby on the train who may need the other language. Seems like a recipe for all kinds of production interference. Thoughts?
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/17/w...
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/17/w...
‘Bonjour’ Sets Off a Linguistic Dispute on a Belgian Train
www.nytimes.com
July 18, 2025 at 5:58 PM
The ruling here seems to put huge burdens on bilinguals to switch languages rapidly for one interlocutor in a context of many other people nearby on the train who may need the other language. Seems like a recipe for all kinds of production interference. Thoughts?
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/17/w...
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/17/w...
Garden Path of the day, 3 layers deep! Subject N (man) [reduced relative 1 (arrested) [reduced relative 2 (found) [subject relative (crashed)]]] mainV (faces) madison.com/news/state-r...
Man arrested after Dodgeville woman’s body found in car he crashed in Nebraska faces homicide charge
The man arrested after crashing the car in Nebraska, Gavin Thompson, 23, of Dodgeville, was still in custody in Nebraska on Thursday.
madison.com
July 18, 2025 at 3:24 PM
Garden Path of the day, 3 layers deep! Subject N (man) [reduced relative 1 (arrested) [reduced relative 2 (found) [subject relative (crashed)]]] mainV (faces) madison.com/news/state-r...