Heather Bliss

Lecturer

Director, Writing Center

  • Email: hbliss@sfu.ca
  • Tel: 604-762-6274
  • Office: RCB 8121
  • Personal site: http://www.sfu.ca/~hbliss
  • Interests: Indigenous language revitalization; Algonquian languages, particularly Blackfoot; syntax; articulatory phonetics; L2 pronunciation

Education

  • PhD, Linguistics, University of British Columbia
  • MA, Linguistics, University of Calgary

Biography

Dr. Bliss’ research focuses on Indigenous language documentation, analysis, and revitalization. Since 2003, she has been working with members of the Siksiká and Kainai communities on documenting and analysing the Blackfoot language, with a focus on morphosyntax, articulatory phonetics, and oral stories. She is the Editor and Curator of the Blackfoot Online Stories Archive (http://stories.blackfoot.atlas-ling.ca/#/stories). Beyond Blackfoot, Dr. Bliss has done comparative research looking at a range of Algonquian languages, including Cree and Nishnaabemowin. She also investigates the role of ultrasound imaging technology in phonetic documentation and its application in pronunciation instruction. She has been working with Indigenous communities throughout Alberta and BC to develop pronunciation training tools for language learners. In addition to her role at SFU, Dr. Bliss is an Adjunct Professor at UBC and the University of Calgary, and is a member of the Board of Directors for the Canadian Language Museum.

 

Courses

This instructor is currently not teaching any courses.