Dr. E.D. (Bert) Botma

Position:
  • Lecturer
Expertise:
  • Phonology


Telephone number: +31 (0)71 527 2150
E-Mail: e.d.botma@hum.leidenuniv.nl
Faculty / Department: Faculteit der Geesteswetenschappen, Leiden Univ Centre for Linguistics, LUCL Engels
Office Address: Witte Singel-complex
P.N. van Eyckhof 4
2311 BV Leiden
Room number 2.05a

Fields of interest

Phonology: the internal structure of syllables and segments; the relation between phonology and phonetics; morphology; historical linguistics; English linguistics

Research

The status of ‘ambivalent’ segments, i.e. segments whose behaviour seems to be at odds with their realisation; the contrast between sonorants and obstruents; nasals, nasalisation and nasal harmony processes; laryngeal phonology; phonological features.

Curriculum Vitae

2008–2012      Postdoctoral researcher (NWO/veni). Project title: 'Crossing the great divide: the sonorant–obstruent contrast in phonology'
2010-present    Assistant professor ('UD1') in English Linguistics, Department of English Language and Culture, University of Leiden
2005 Winner of the LOT/Anéla dissertation prize 2004 for the best dissertation in Linguistics
2004-2010 Assistant professor ('UD2') in English Linguistics, Department of English Language and Culture, University of Leiden
2004 Doctorate in Linguistics (cum laude), University of Amsterdam
2000–2003 Various temporary teaching positions in Linguistics at the Departments of English, Dutch and General Linguistics, University of Leiden
1997–2001 Graduate student ('AiO'), Holland Institute of Generative Linguistics (HIL)
1993–1994 Harting scholarship, University of Edinburgh; teaching assistant in the German Department, University of Edinburhg (course: "Introduction to Dutch")
1991–1996 MA in Linguistics, Department of English Language and Culture, University of Leiden

Teaching activities

English linguistics (BA), various courses in English phonology, morphology and historical linguistics (MA/MPhil); LOT Winterschool 2009 (‘The phonology of sonorants’; postgraduate course)

Selected publications

  • Botma, Bert & Hidetoshi Shiraishi (submitted). ‘Nivkh palatalization: articulatory causes, perceptual effects’.
  • Botma, Bert & Marc van Oostendorp (submitted). ‘A propos of the Dutch vowel system 21 years on, 22 years on’. To appear in Botma, Bert & Roland Noske (eds.), Phonological Architecture: Empirical, Theoretical and Conceptual Issues. Berlin/New York: Mouton de Gruyter.
  • Botma, Bert (2011). ‘Sonorants’. In Oostendorp, Marc van, Colin J. Ewen, Elizabeth Hume & Keren Rice (eds.), The Blackwell Companion to Phonology . Malden, MA: Wiley Blackwell. 171–193.
  • Kula, Nancy C., Bert Botma & Kuniya Nasukawa (eds.) (2010). The Continuum Companion to Phonology . London: Continuum.
  • Botma, Bert (2009). ‘Transparency in nasal harmony and the limits of reductionism’. In Backley, Phillip & Kuniya Nasukawa (eds.), Strength Relations in Phonology . Berlin /New York: Mouton de Gruyter. 79–111.

Selected presentations

  • Botma, Bert & Hidetoshi Shiraishi (2011). ‘Breaking as articulatory conflict resolution: the case of Nivkh’. Paper presented at the 19th Manchester Phonology Meeting, Manchester, May 19–21, and at the NWO/ELP Conference, Leiden, April 8–9.
  • Botma, Bert, Koen Sebregts & Dick Smakman (2010). ‘The phonetics and phonology of Dutch mid vowels before /l/’. Paper presented at the Old World Conference in Phonology (OCP) 7, Nice, January 28.
  • Botma, Bert & Colin J. Ewen (2009). ‘Old English Breaking as tongue-root retraction’. Paper presented at the Old World Conference in Phonology (OCP) 6, Edinburgh, January 23.
  • Smith, Norval S.H. & Bert Botma (2008). ‘Implosives in Saramaccan and ex-implosives in Fon’. Paper presented at the 38th Colloquium on African Linguistics (CALL), Leiden, August 26.
  • Botma, Bert & Norval S.H. Smith (2007). ‘Grassmann’s Law in Greek: allomorphy vs. aspiration’. Paper presented at the Morfologiedagen, Amsterdam, December 20.

Other activities

Secretary of the Dutch Linguistics Association (Algemene Vereniging Taalwetenschap)
Associate editor of Linguistic Variation (a journal published by John Benjamins)
Member of the advisory board of the Old World Conference in Phonology (OCP) and the Manchester Phonology Meeting
Regular reviewer for Lingua and Phonology

LUCL Office
Last Modified: 31-01-2013