I grew up in suburban New Jersey before moving across the country to study linguistics at Reed College. I will be continuing my studies of linguistics at UCSB in the joint Masters and PhD program.
We got a chance to interview Montreal a few weeks before they started at UCSB. Here is our short Q&A with Montreal, who shares how they first became fascinated with their chosen discipline, why they chose UCSB, and what they're excited to accomplish on campus.
Q&A
My interest in linguistics formed very naturally from growing up in and around Spanish- and Romanian- speaking communities. I was a curious kid, and from a young age started noticing and asking about the
differences and similarities between the languages. It was not until high school that I learned there is a field dedicated to thinking about and trying to answer these same questions I had had for so long and
realized I could have a career doing so. Around the same time, I began to understand my queer and trans identities, and “trans people are natural linguists,” as Lal Zimman, with whom I will be continuing
research here at UCSB, is fond of saying. These days, my research interests center queer and trans language and lives, mostly around social meanings of language and how they are used to create and
navigate the social world. At UCSB, I am excited to continue exploring and developing these research interests alongside faculty and peers, who will no doubt shape the direction my research ends up going.
I chose UCSB in large part because of the Trans Research in Linguistics Lab (TRILL), run by Lal Zimman. The lab is full of amazing trans linguists, and I look forward both to contributing to and benefiting from
such collaborators. I am eager to join the community of the larger Linguistics department, as well; the department-wide commitment to centering the people who use the languages we study resonates with
me and my approach to research. Another draw to UCSB was the teaching certificates offered because I hope to teach once I have finished my PhD.
DID YOU KNOW?
Besides linguistics, some of my favorite ways I have spent my time recently have been supervising and operating a nuclear reactor, fire dancing, and doing French interpretation & translation for an art installation at the 28th UN Climate Change Conference in Dubai.