Mr  Jonathan Schlossberg

Mr Jonathan Schlossberg

Research student

Career Summary

Biography

I graduated from Monash University in 2012 with a BA (hons) in linguistics. My thesis was called Lexical Reconstruction in the Papuan Tip Cluster. Since 2013 I have been a doctoral researcher in linguistics at the University of Newcastle. 

My research focuses on issues related to the expression of space in Marshallese, an Oceanic language spoken in the Republic of the Marshall Islands, as well as by a rapidly growing Marshallese migrant community in the United States. I am interested in Marshallese' grammar of space, both in synchrony and diachrony, as well as how the expression of space varies with the physical environment and cultural practices of the linguistic community and the complicated relationship between linguistic spatial reference and spatial cognition. I am also interested in the effects that migration, urbanisation and education have on systems of spatial reference.

I have performed 8 months of fieldwork on Marshallese in total, 6 months in the Marshall Islands (on Jaluit Atoll and Kili Island) and 2 months in Springdale, Arkansas, USA. 

I am supervised by Dr. Bill Palmer, Dr. Alice Gaby (Monash University), and Dr. Catriona Malau.


Keywords

  • Marshallese
  • Oceanic languages
  • cognitive linguistics
  • historical linguistics
  • language documentation and description
  • spatial reference
  • typology

Languages

  • English (Mother)
  • Spanish (Fluent)
  • French (Working)

Awards

Scholarship

Year Award
2014 UNSRE PhD Scholarship
The University of Newcastle
2012 Summer Research Scholarship
University of Queensland

Teaching

Code Course Role Duration
LIN3SEM Semantics and Pragmatics
La Trobe University
Third year undergraduate semantics and pragmatics class.
Teaching Associate 1/7/2017 - 30/11/2017
ATS1338 The Language Game: why do we talk the way we do?
Monash University
Introductory linguistics class
Teaching Associate 1/2/2016 - 31/7/2016
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Publications

For publications that are currently unpublished or in-press, details are shown in italics.

Highlighted Publications

Year Citation Altmetrics Link
2015 Lum J, Schlossberg J, 'Computer-based elicitation in the field: The Virtual Atoll Task', The 45th Australian Linguistics Society conference proceedings - 2014, Newcastle (2015)
2017 Palmer W, Lum J, Schlossberg J, Gaby A, 'How does the environment shape spatial language? Evidence for sociotopography', Linguistic Typology, 21 457-491 (2017) [C1]
DOI 10.1515/lingty-2017-0011
Citations Scopus - 52Web of Science - 43
Co-authors Bill Palmer

Chapter (1 outputs)

Year Citation Altmetrics Link
2018 Palmer B, Gaby A, Lum J, Schlossberg J, 'Socioculturally mediated responses to environment shaping universals and diversity in spatial language', 195-205 (2018) [E1]

This paper reports on an empirical experiment-based study testing the extent to which systems of linguistic spatial reference correlate with aspects of the physical environment in... [more]

This paper reports on an empirical experiment-based study testing the extent to which systems of linguistic spatial reference correlate with aspects of the physical environment in which a language community lives. We investigated linguistic spatial behaviour in two unrelated languages in both similar and contrasting locations, ranging from atoll islands to urban environments, using standardised tests whose results were subject to quantitative analysis. Our findings reveal significant variation in spatial referential strategy preference in the two languages. Some preferences correlated with environment (e.g. island vs. urban). However, others correlated with degree and nature of interaction with environment, and others with linguistic resources available to speakers. The findings demonstrate that spatial behaviour reflects a complex interplay of responses to environment; sociocultural interaction with environment; and speakers¿ linguistic repertoire.

DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-63946-8_35
Citations Scopus - 7Web of Science - 6
Co-authors Bill Palmer

Journal article (3 outputs)

Year Citation Altmetrics Link
2018 Palmer WD, Gaby A, Lum J, Schlossberg J, 'Diversity in Spatial Language Within Communities: The Interplay of Culture, Language and Landscape in Representations of Space.', http://www.dagstuhl.de/dagpub/978-3-95977-083-5, (2018) [C1]
Citations Scopus - 10
Co-authors Bill Palmer
2017 Palmer W, Lum J, Schlossberg J, Gaby A, 'How does the environment shape spatial language? Evidence for sociotopography', Linguistic Typology, 21 457-491 (2017) [C1]
DOI 10.1515/lingty-2017-0011
Citations Scopus - 52Web of Science - 43
Co-authors Bill Palmer
2017 Gaby A, Lum J, Poulton T, Schlossberg J, 'What in the World Is North? Translating Cardinal Directions across Languages, Cultures and Environments', M/C Journal, 20 1-4 (2017) [C1]

Conference (9 outputs)

Year Citation Altmetrics Link
2017 Palmer WD, Gaby A, Lum J, Schlossberg J, 'Sociotopography: an overview.', Australian National University (2017)
Co-authors Bill Palmer
2017 Palmer WD, Gaby A, Lum J, Schlossberg J, 'The Sociotopographic Model: the role of environment and culture in shaping spatial reference.', University of Tartu, Estonia (2017)
Co-authors Bill Palmer
2017 Palmer WD, Lum J, Schlossberg J, Gaby A, 'Sociolinguistic and environmental factors in spatial language.', University of Sydney (2017)
Co-authors Bill Palmer
2016 Palmer WD, Gaby A, Lum J, Schlossberg J, 'Topography and Frame of Reference in the threatened ecological niche of the atoll.', University of Copenhagen (2016)
Co-authors Bill Palmer
2015 Lum J, Schlossberg J, 'Computer-based elicitation in the field: The Virtual Atoll Task', The 45th Australian Linguistics Society conference proceedings - 2014, Newcastle (2015)
2015 Schlossberg J, 'Directionals in Marshallese', Kioloa (2015)
2015 Palmer W, Gaby A, Lum J, Schlossberg J, 'Towards a Typology of Linguistic Frames of Spatial Reference', Albuquerque (2015)
Co-authors Bill Palmer
2015 Schlossberg J, Lum J, Poulton T, 'Back to Front: Body Axis Terms in Marshallese and Dhivehi.', Parramatta (2015)
2013 Schlossberg J, 'On the position of the Dobu-Duau network within the North Mainland/D Entrecasteaux linkage', Kioloa (2013)
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Thesis / Dissertation (1 outputs)

Year Citation Altmetrics Link
2012 Schlossberg J, Lexical Reconstruction in the Papuan Tip Cluster, Monash University (2012)
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Mr Jonathan Schlossberg

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