KRAUS DEFENDS DISSERTATION

Congratulations to Kelsey Kraus for a successful defense this past Tuesday of her thesis “Great Intonations”, with Pranav Anand (chair), Donka Farkas, and Grant McGuire serving as the committee. Kelsey’s dissertation explores the ways in which expectation violation is realized in discourse particles, intonation, and their interaction. In an instance of life mirroring art, Kelsey’s defense during the strike was an exercise in continual expectational recalibration. It really took a village to ensure this happened on time: Thanks to Jorge Hankamer for hosting her defense, to Maria Zimmer for coordinating all the details, and to Jenny Bellik for crucial A/V support.

Pictured: An intonationally contoured princess cake in celebration of the event, courtesy of Steven Foley and Tom Roberts.