Dr. Karen Jesney

Biography

Dr. Karen Jesney is an Associate Professor in the School of Linguistics and Language Studies at Carleton University. She has earned her B.A. from the University of Ottawa, M.A. from the University of Calgary, and Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Her research focuses on phonological theory, language acquisition, and learning theory. She has contributed significantly to the field, with several publications that delve into topics such as loanword adaptation in Québec French, positional constraints in Optimality Theory, and learning-based accounts of language structure. Her work includes co-authored studies that examine scalar constraints and the relationship between rank acquisition and language learning. Dr. Jesney’s expertise is recognized in various linguistic conferences where she has presented her findings. She is dedicated to advancing the understanding of phonology and its implications for acquisition theories.

Research Interests