Lise Menn
Encyclopedia
Lise Menn
is an American linguist
who specializes in
psycholinguistics
, including the study
of language acquisition
and aphasia
.
She is currently Professor
Emerita
of linguistics and a fellow of the Institute for Cognitive Science at the University of Colorado at Boulder
in Boulder, Colorado
.
in 1962 from Swarthmore College
and a master's degree (also in mathematics) from Brandeis University
in 1964. After changing fields, she earned a master's and doctorate in linguistics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
in 1975/1976.
She taught or conducted research at several universities in the Boston
area,including a post-doctoral position at MIT under Paula Menyuk and Kenneth N. Stevens
, several years as a research associate with Jean Berko Gleason
, and six years at the Aphasia Research Center of the Boston University School of Medicine
under Harold Goodglass. She also spent a post-doctoral year with Eran Zaidel at UCLA,
before being appointed associate professor of linguistics at the University of Colorado in 1986. She has been a member of the governing committees of the Academy of Aphasia, the Linguistic Society of America
, and the Linguistics and Language Sciences section of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
. Her approaches to linguistics, psycholinguistics, and neurolinguistics are considered to be 'bottom-up' (i.e. data-driven), empiricist, and functionalist.
, Dr. Menn has written or edited seven books, and more
than 50 peer-reviewed articles. In 2006, she was honored as a
Fellow of the Linguistic Society of America
.
and Joseph Menn and stepmother of Susie Bright
. Her doctoral advisees and co-advisees include Marjorie Perlman Lorch, Rebecca Burns-Hoffmann, Kevin Markey, Andrea Feldman, Patrick Juola
, Harold Wilcox, Debra Biasca, Valerie Wallace, Carolyn J. Buck-Gengler, and Holly Krech Thomas.
Dr. Menn was married to William Bright
from 1986 until his death in 2006. Her first husband was Michael D. Menn; they were divorced in 1972.
is an American linguist
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
who specializes in
psycholinguistics
Psycholinguistics
Psycholinguistics or psychology of language is the study of the psychological and neurobiological factors that enable humans to acquire, use, comprehend and produce language. Initial forays into psycholinguistics were largely philosophical ventures, due mainly to a lack of cohesive data on how the...
, including the study
of language acquisition
Language acquisition
Language acquisition is the process by which humans acquire the capacity to perceive, produce and use words to understand and communicate. This capacity involves the picking up of diverse capacities including syntax, phonetics, and an extensive vocabulary. This language might be vocal as with...
and aphasia
Aphasia
Aphasia is an impairment of language ability. This class of language disorder ranges from having difficulty remembering words to being completely unable to speak, read, or write....
.
She is currently Professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
Emerita
Emeritus
Emeritus is a post-positive adjective that is used to designate a retired professor, bishop, or other professional or as a title. The female equivalent emerita is also sometimes used.-History:...
of linguistics and a fellow of the Institute for Cognitive Science at the University of Colorado at Boulder
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
in Boulder, Colorado
Boulder, Colorado
Boulder is the county seat and most populous city of Boulder County and the 11th most populous city in the U.S. state of Colorado. Boulder is located at the base of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains at an elevation of...
.
Professional History
Menn earned a bachelor's degree in mathematicsMathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
in 1962 from Swarthmore College
Swarthmore College
Swarthmore College is a private, independent, liberal arts college in the United States with an enrollment of about 1,500 students. The college is located in the borough of Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, 11 miles southwest of Philadelphia....
and a master's degree (also in mathematics) from Brandeis University
Brandeis University
Brandeis University is an American private research university with a liberal arts focus. It is located in the southwestern corner of Waltham, Massachusetts, nine miles west of Boston. The University has an enrollment of approximately 3,200 undergraduate and 2,100 graduate students. In 2011, it...
in 1964. After changing fields, she earned a master's and doctorate in linguistics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...
in 1975/1976.
She taught or conducted research at several universities in the Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
area,including a post-doctoral position at MIT under Paula Menyuk and Kenneth N. Stevens
Kenneth N. Stevens
Kenneth N. Stevens is Clarence J. LeBel Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and Professor of Health Sciences and Technology at MIT. Stevens heads the Speech Communication Group in MIT's Research Laboratory of Electronics , and is one of the world's leading scientists in...
, several years as a research associate with Jean Berko Gleason
Jean Berko Gleason
Jean Berko Gleason is a Boston University psycholinguist best known for having created the Wug Test. The test, which was designed to investigate the manner in which children acquire grammatical understanding, was created in 1958...
, and six years at the Aphasia Research Center of the Boston University School of Medicine
Boston University School of Medicine
Boston University School of Medicine is one of the graduate schools of Boston University. Founded in 1848, the medical school holds the unique distinction as the first institution in the world to formally educate female physicians. Originally known as the New England Female Medical College, it was...
under Harold Goodglass. She also spent a post-doctoral year with Eran Zaidel at UCLA,
before being appointed associate professor of linguistics at the University of Colorado in 1986. She has been a member of the governing committees of the Academy of Aphasia, the Linguistic Society of America
Linguistic Society of America
The Linguistic Society of America is a professional society for linguists. It was founded in 1924 to advance linguistics, the scientific study of human language. The LSA has over 5,000 individual members and welcomes linguists of all kinds. It works to advance the discipline and to communicate...
, and the Linguistics and Language Sciences section of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
American Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsibility, and supporting scientific education and science outreach for the...
. Her approaches to linguistics, psycholinguistics, and neurolinguistics are considered to be 'bottom-up' (i.e. data-driven), empiricist, and functionalist.
, Dr. Menn has written or edited seven books, and more
than 50 peer-reviewed articles. In 2006, she was honored as a
Fellow of the Linguistic Society of America
Linguistic Society of America
The Linguistic Society of America is a professional society for linguists. It was founded in 1924 to advance linguistics, the scientific study of human language. The LSA has over 5,000 individual members and welcomes linguists of all kinds. It works to advance the discipline and to communicate...
.
Personal life
She is the mother of Stephen MennStephen Menn
Dr. Stephen Menn, PhD. is Associate Professor of Philosophy at McGill University. He teaches ancient philosophy , medieval philosophy and the history and philosophy of mathematics...
and Joseph Menn and stepmother of Susie Bright
Susie Bright
Susannah "Susie" Bright is an American writer, speaker, teacher, audio-show host, and performer, all on the subject of sexuality....
. Her doctoral advisees and co-advisees include Marjorie Perlman Lorch, Rebecca Burns-Hoffmann, Kevin Markey, Andrea Feldman, Patrick Juola
Patrick Juola
Dr. Patrick Juola is a professor of computer science at Duquesne University and an expert in the field of computer linguistics and computer security. He is credited with co-creating the original biometric word list. Dr...
, Harold Wilcox, Debra Biasca, Valerie Wallace, Carolyn J. Buck-Gengler, and Holly Krech Thomas.
Dr. Menn was married to William Bright
William Bright
William Bright was an American linguist who specialized in Native American and South Asian languages and descriptive linguistics....
from 1986 until his death in 2006. Her first husband was Michael D. Menn; they were divorced in 1972.
Selected bibliography
- On the acquisition of phonology, by Paul Kiparsky & Lise Menn. In John Macnamara (ed.), Language Learning and Thought. New York: Academic Press (1977), pp. 47–78. Reprinted in G. Ioup & S. H. Weinberger (eds.), Interlanguage Phonology: The Acquisition of a Second Language Sound System. Cambridge, MA: Newbury House (1987), pp. 23–52.
- Elvish loanwords in Indo-European: Cultural implications. [Parody]. In J. Allan (ed.), An Introduction to Elvish. Somerset: Bran's Head Books Ltd. (1978), pp. 143–151. Book reprinted 1995.
- Fundamental frequency and discourse structure, by Lise Menn & Suzanne Boyce. Language and Speech 25.341-383 (1982).
- Development of articulatory, phonetic, and phonological capabilities. In Brian ButterworthBrian ButterworthBrian Butterworth is a professor of cognitive neuropsychology in the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience at University College London. His research has ranged from speech errors and pauses, short-term memory deficits, dyslexia, reading both in alphabetic scripts and logograms, and mathematics and...
(ed.), Language Production, vol. 2. London: Academic Press (1983), pp. 3–50. - Contrasting cases of Italian agrammatic aphasia without comprehension disorder, by Gabriele Miceli, Anna Mazzucchi, Lise Menn, & Harold Goodglass. Brain and Language 19.65-97 (1983).
- False starts and filler syllables: Ways to learn grammatical morphemes, by Ann M. Peters & Lise Menn). Language 69:4 (1993). pp. 742–777.
- "Non-Fluent Aphasia in a Multilingual World" (Studies in Speech Pathology and Clinical Linguistics, Vol 5) by Lise Menn, M. O'Connor, Loraine K. Obler, and Audrey Holland. (1996). John Benjamins.
- "Phonological Development: Models, Research, Implications (Communicating By Language)" by Charles A. Ferguson, Lise Menn, and Carol Stoel-Gammon. (1992). York Press.
- A linguistic communication measure for aphasic narratives, by Lise Menn, Gail Ramsberger, & Nancy Helm-Estabrooks. Aphasiology 8:343-359. (1994).
- "Methods for Studying Language Production" by Lise Menn and Nan Bernstein Ratner. (2000). Lawrence Erlbaum.
- "Agrammatic Aphasia: A Cross-Language Narrative Sourcebook", edited by Lise Menn and Loraine K. Obler. (1990). John Benjamins.