Washington D.C.:Â Today
I’m currently in the thick of writing my dissertation, which means more likely than not, you can find me tucked away in the library with my laptop, a coffee, and far too many open tabs. When I’m not analyzing data or revising chapters, I try to take advantage of the city’s many beautiful spots.
Here are some of my favorite views in DC!
I’m excited to share that my paper has been published in the Proceedings of the Linguistic Society of America! 🥳 Check it out! https://journals.linguisticsociety.org/proceedings/index.php/PLSA/article/view/6071/5852
Washington, DC: April 2026
I presented a paper at the 12th International Workshop on Spanish Sociolinguistics (WSS12). This conference was put on by Georgetown’s very own Department of Spanish and Portuguese! It was such a pleasure to spend the weekend hearing scholars from around the world present such interesting research! I presented my work on metalinguistic commentary by Chilean social media users and how they perceive voseo through diverse ideological schemas.
My paper has officially been published in the Penn Working Papers in Linguistics! 🎊 This article grew out of the presentation I gave at the Penn Linguistics Colloquium, and I’m excited to share the final published version here: https://repository.upenn.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/56ac8372-f510-41d4-8b69-63f95963b530/content
I’m excited to share my very first journal publication, which was published in Spanish in Context! 🎉 I’m so grateful for everyone involved in the feedback process! Check it out here: https://www.jbe-platform.com/content/journals/10.1075/sic.24013.kil
Denver, CO: November 2025
I presented not one, but two papers at the 111th National Communication Association (NCA) Convention. The first paper presentation examined how Justin Bieber’s self-presentation evolved throughout his career, exploring how personal narratives can transform identities and disrupt canonical ideologies. The second analyzed online metapragmatic discussions surrounding the use of voseo in Chiapas, Mexico, and Zulia, Venezuela, showing how localized language attitudes reflect broader sociopolitical tensions surrounding national and regional identities.
I was also honored to be selected for the Language & Social Interaction (LSI) Top Paper Panel, recognizing my paper as one of the top four submissions in the division.
Ann Arbor, MI (University of Michigan): November 2025
I presented a paper at the 53rd New Ways of Analyzing Variation (NWAV53) conference. It was so wonderful to connect with so many amazing sociolinguists whose work inspired new ideas for my own! Drawing on data from focus groups and matched-guise surveys, my presentation examined how listeners perceive the use of African American English in pop music.
New York, NY (Columbia University): October 2025
I presented a paper at the 13th annual meeting of the Language & Social Interaction Working Group (LANSI-13). In my presentation, I examined how Chilean social media users perceive the use of voseo through competing commonsense understandings of who uses it, what it means, and how it should be used in everyday interaction.
Washington D.C.: October 2025
I passed my Dissertation Proposal Defense! 🙌
After years of coursework, qualifying papers, pilot studies, and months of proposal drafting, I successfully defended my dissertation proposal and officially advanced to doctoral candidacy. This milestone marked the beginning of my dissertation research on how listeners perceive racial identity and notions of authenticity while listening to pop music!
Washington D.C.: May 2025
I received an M.S. in Sociolinguistics (en route to Ph.D.)! 🥳
Chicago, IL (University of Chicago): May 2025
I presented a paper at the 2025 Society for Linguistic Anthropology Biennial Conference (SLA 2025). This was my very first linguistic anthropology conference, and I absolutely loved the opportunity to engage and learn from scholars whose work intersects with my own! My presentation explored how sociopolitical ideologies and local histories inform the way people perceive the use of voseo in Chiapas, Mexico, and Zulia, Venezuela.
Philadelphia, PA (University of Pennsylvania): April 2025
I presented a paper at the 49th Penn Linguistics Colloquium (PLC49). At this conference, I shared early findings from my second qualifying paper, exploring how people use both visual and linguistic cues to form impressions to form impressions of pop singers and their racial identities.
Miami, FL (Florida International University): October 2024
I presented a project launch proposal at New Ways of Analyzing Variation (NWAV52). In this proposal, I explored how media engagement may or may not influence the way we use language, and I also shared potential methods, a rough timeline, and anticipated challenges for this projected research.
Columbus, OH (The Ohio State University): March 2024
I presented a paper about how commenters construct and negotiate the meanings of voseo (a Spanish second personal singular pronoun) on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube at The Ohio State University Congress on Hispanic and Lusophone Linguistics 2024.
Denver, CO: January 2023
I presented a poster on Justin Bieber’s adoption of black identity features at the Linguistic Society of America (LSA)’s 97th Annual Meeting.
Stanford, CA (Stanford University): October, 2022
I virtually presented my paper on Justin Bieber’s adoption of black identity features at New Ways of Analyzing Variation (NWAV50).
Washington D.C.: August 2022
I started the Sociolinguistics Ph.D. program at Georgetown! 🎉
Washington D.C.: January 2022
I presented my poster on Dora’s identity-based switches between Spanish and English phonology at the Linguistic Society of America (LSA)’s 96th annual meeting. (Little did I know I would end up moving to D.C. that year for a grad program!)
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Abby Killam 