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BrettC, Ph.D.

@brettc.bsky.social
244 followers 230 following 1.4K posts

en.pronouns.page/@brettcnelson Linguistics and Indigenous studies in Mohkinstsis (51° N, 114° W) Born settler from Bulbancha (30° N, 90° W) Latest publication: langsci-press.org/catalog/book/469 (Book chapter; Open Access)

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BrettC, Ph.D. @brettc.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Sure I'll wait any amount of time for TRAIN (This is the start/end of the line. I've never had to wait any amount of time here.)
Part of a screenshot of Google maps transit directions.

Starting from saddletowne terminal stop H at 9:30 I am to walk 4 minutes (270 metres) then wait for up to 4001 minutes at saddletowne station.
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Reposted by BrettC, Ph.D.
calgarylinguistics.bsky.social @calgarylinguistics.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
📢 CALL FOR PAPERS 📢 Abstract submissions for the Alberta Conference on Linguistics are now open! Send your abstract to albertaconferenceonlinguistics@gmail.com no later than 23:59 (MST) on October 23, 2026. For detailed information, please visit our website!
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BrettC, Ph.D. @brettc.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Ah finally an acknowledgment from the university today. It's up to the university's technology vendors to fix and up to individual community members to manage workarounds (like putting the intended start time in the title of scheduled events) 🙃
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BrettC, Ph.D. @brettc.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Okay so looking at my institutional Google calendar it seems to be applied to everything there after November 1 as well! My 11:30 to 12:30 office hour appears as 12:30 to 1:30 there but my "student meeting" appointment availability has not shifted and remains starting at 9:00??
Screenshot of my Google calendar for Monday October 26.
The page header reads "october". Under that the date Monday, the 26th is given, followed by the building icon indicating that I work in the office that day. 
The day starts at 9:00 and the screenshot goes until 13:00 at the bottom of the screen.
From 9 til 13 there is "Prof. BrettC - Student Meeting" availability, indicated in green.
From 10 to 11:20 there is "INST 1111.002/066 Intro to Indigenous Studies: international perspectives" scheduled and indicated in purple.
From 11:30 to 12:30 "BrettC Nelson Office Hour" is scheduled and indicated in blue.Screenshot of my Google calendar for Monday November 2
The page header reads "November". Under that the date Monday, the 2nd is given, followed by the building icon indicating that I work in the office that day. 
The day starts at 9:00 and the screenshot goes until 14:00 at the bottom of the screen.
From 9 til 14 there is "Prof. BrettC - Student Meeting" availability, indicated in green.
From 11 to 12:20 there is "INST 1111.002/066 Intro to Indigenous Studies: international perspectives" scheduled and indicated in purple.
From 12:30 to 13:30 "BrettC Nelson Office Hour" is scheduled and indicated in blue.
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BrettC, Ph.D. @brettc.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Because Alberta is not reverting back to standard time in November, all of the dates & times after that point that I set in my LMS have been pushed back an hour, so I now have to adjust them back to the times that I intended (and initially set not two weeks ago).
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BrettC, Ph.D. @brettc.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
They should make a cell phone that's just an orb. I wish to ponder the blue sky on my orb.
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BrettC, Ph.D. @brettc.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
I would also like to announce that I will step down from the office of prime minister of the United Kingdom, at some point in the future.
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Reposted by BrettC, Ph.D.
Alex Hanna @alexhanna.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
If you missed it, you can watch a replay of the Luddite Lab Resource Hub launch at the @dairinstitute.bsky.social PeerTube channel. We discuss the Hub and have an incredible conversation with organizers Anna Iovine, @benjaminharnett.com, and Pomai Neil. peertube.dair-institute.org/w/4evWrVsa7i...
peertube.dair-institute.org
Luddite Lab Resource Hub Launch Webinar
We're excited to publicly announce the release of DAIR’s newest resource: The Luddite Lab Resource Hub! This webinar, recorded on May 20, 2026, includes a short demonstration of the Resource Hub to...
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BrettC, Ph.D. @brettc.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
Love to teach about grammatical voice in my Modern English Grammar course every spring semester, just generally, but also because it tends to occur during my birthweek, as a little gift to me and my students. I give grammatical voice to us! Grammatical voice is given! Grammatical voice gives!
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BrettC, Ph.D. @brettc.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
I asked my partner from Ontario whether they had ever heard of the saying "God made dirt, dirt don't hurt" and they laughed, shook their head, and said that was the most Southern (US) thing they'd ever heard me say.
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BrettC, Ph.D. @brettc.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
At the end of class today a student wished me happy Eid in text chat, and I wished them happy Eid back in voice, but it got me thinking about how that Arabic-borrowed word "Eid" is pronounced in English because I've always perceived it as /aɪd/ (essentially EYE-d) so that's how I pronounced it. 1/4
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BrettC, Ph.D. @brettc.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
Indict Hegseth next
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BrettC, Ph.D. @brettc.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
Are normal distributions inherently Good/Right or have I just been trained to find them Aesthetically Pleasing?
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BrettC, Ph.D. @brettc.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
Diagram this sentence (actually don't because I might want to assign this in the future (actually do, but maybe just don't post it publicly (actually do whatever you want, idc))).
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BrettC, Ph.D. @brettc.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
A student left me a note with their syntax assignment in which they apologized for submitting their work on looseleaf rather than a printout of the assignment PDF because they spilled coffee on their printout and that is such an relatable experience
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Reposted by BrettC, Ph.D.
Wynn Thornton @northwind.myatproto.social · 05/05/2026
Okay, serious thread, boosts appreciated! Background first, call for assistance at the bottom! Because San Diego is so bad for me (emotionally, in terms of CoL, and in terms of lack of adequate job prospects), I have an offer from my family:
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BrettC, Ph.D. @brettc.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
I should have tested this, but I enjoy the prospect that because this question is implemented as a post- training module quiz, that my lack of acknowledgment that I read and understand the content would presumably be marked as "Incorrect" which would open a whole can of semantic worms.
A yes/no "quiz" question. All text.
First in a box: "I acknowledge that I have read and understand the Framework for Responsible AI & the Generative AI Acceptable Use Guidelines"
Then the choices on separate lines: Yes and No. (The circle for "Yes" is selected).
Under that is a wide green box with text centred in it: Correct.
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BrettC, Ph.D. @brettc.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
I've noticed a recent seemingly stylistic choice by ESPN's headline and title makers to use "woman" as an adjective, completly avoiding "female", but for me this just gets into Noun-Noun compound territory. Example: I am inclined to interpret "woman trainer" as someone who trains women???
espn.com
DeVaux becomes 1st woman trainer to win Kentucky Derby - ESPN Video
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BrettC, Ph.D. @brettc.bsky.social · 03/05/2026
Went to a used video shop today and found this box set of Star Trek TOS that they just got in this week.
A black Ikea kallax shelf (a 4x2 grid of cubes) with various boxes, electronics, figures, dvds, and video games filling the shelves. On the top row from left to right there is also a framed image of Astarion the high elf vampire rogue from Baldur's Gate 3, a yellow rounded box of Star Trek DVDs (season 1), a blue rounded box (season 2) and a red rounded box (season 3).
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BrettC, Ph.D. @brettc.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
Do I hate the Spring or do I hate that shitty things happen to me and the people and communities I love in the Spring?
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BrettC, Ph.D. @brettc.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
Spring has sprung. Gesprongen.
A torbie cat lying on top of a person's lower body, viewed from the perspective of that person. The cat is relaxed but has front paws' claws out! In the foreground, on the person's chest, is a pile of shed fur from the cat. Text on the tshirt the person is wearing is visible from under the shed fur. It reads: New Orleans.
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BrettC, Ph.D. @brettc.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
Y'all, can I use blizzard as a verb? Would the past tense of that be blizzarded? My phone doesn't like that but how else am I to tell my mom who is currently enjoying a very warm and sunny beach that it is still very much winter where I am
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BrettC, Ph.D. @brettc.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
Deydies and gentledem, it's been a hwile, but: da weekend! Here are some good'ns
A calico tabby cat and a black kcat lying next to / on top of each other on a beige corduroy textured bed on a cat tree. There is a small circular mirror behind the black kitten revealing a reflection of the other side of their head. The calico tabby is looking at the camera.An orange tabby cat sitting at a desk in front of a black computer keyboard with magenta LED backlights. The cat is looking toward the monitor, out of frame to the left.A torbie cat lying on a dark coloured office chair looking toward the camera under/through the arm rest.An orange tabby cat and a black cat sitting in a black fabric wagon/cart with black metal frame. The long side of the cart facing the camera has a white logo and word mark for "originsure". The orange cat is staring to the right, while the black cat is in the middle of shifting their head to the right so their face is a bit wonky: one eye is wide open while the other is squinting.
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Reposted by BrettC, Ph.D.
CJ @virmalised.us · 09/04/2026
Three years ago I pointed out some things that were bad about AI. Basically none of them have changed. Many things have gotten worse. Among other things, the attack on labor has intensified. Here's why to resist dehumanizing your work: www.acsu.buffalo.edu/~cxjacobs/Bl...
acsu.buffalo.edu
Revisiting generative AI in psycholinguistics
In late April 2023, I wrote a blog post on ChatGPT and its incorporation into academic research. Three years later and things are really basically the same. More or less, the landscape is identical to what it was three years ago, except that ChatGPT has a number of competitors, and OpenAI appears to be losing footing because the systems they have developed are not capable of producing behaviors that solve NP-hard cognitive science problems. Some have pointed out that AI systems are appealing to higher education administrators because their jobs are automatable. Others, particularly researchers in STEM fields, feel entitled to use AI to get the un-fun work out of the way (writing papers) so everyone can spend more time on everyone's favorite part (devising experiments).
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BrettC, Ph.D. @brettc.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
"Your phone will shut down if it's not charged soon" GOOD!
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BrettC, Ph.D. @brettc.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
Regime change for thee but not for me
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BrettC, Ph.D. @brettc.bsky.social · 03/04/2026
Sméagol and Gollum
An orange cat lying on a pink fuzzy blanket with an orange lava lamp glowing in the background next to a CRT TV showing Gollum from The Lord of the Rings.
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BrettC, Ph.D. @brettc.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
So the scapegoat plan is to only replace the inept cabinet-members who happen to be women, right?
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BrettC, Ph.D. @brettc.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
Toggle off concentration for your trans invisibility spells today boys and girls and enbies and trans people of any, all, and no gendies
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BrettC, Ph.D. @brettc.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
We'll be doing passives in intro ling this week so obviously thinking about them now and noting interesting constructions, and I just heard an instance of "... would be followed up with." It's almost certainly NOT the first time I've encountered it but I DO very much enjoy it!
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BrettC, Ph.D. @brettc.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
I've been hearing ads on the radio for the new Mario movie and man does Chris Pratt do absolutely nothing for me as Mario. I've long been a Chris Pratt hater, but I was able to focus on the visuals of Mario before now. When it's just his voice my reaction is "I guess that's Mario"
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BrettC, Ph.D. @brettc.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
Very funny slip of the tongue by a radio dj just now: "ticklets" instead of "tickets"
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BrettC, Ph.D. @brettc.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
Until now, I've never taught a course during the semester/academic term during the "spring forward"/start of daylight saving time. But I just finished my 3-hour, 8:30 am Monday course and I didn't know this amount of brain fog could exist
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BrettC, Ph.D. @brettc.bsky.social · 14/02/2026
Deydies and gentledem, da weekend!
A torbie cat lying down curled up at the bottom of a beige carpeted stair step.An orange tabby cat sleeping curled up inside the frame of a handheld wooden loom on top of a green upholstered sofa.An orange tabby cat and a black kitten lying on a green upholstered couch next to a Roku smart tv remote. The black kitten is wearing a pink post-surgery smock and is stretching out their neck so that they can press their snout against the orange cat's neck.An orange tabby cat sleeping on a pink knit blanket on a black leather office chair.
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BrettC, Ph.D. @brettc.bsky.social · 07/02/2026
Deydies and gentledem da weekend!
A calico tabby cat lying on the top platform of a green and beige cat tree. Their back paws are curled upward to reveal bright pink toes directly to the camera.A black kitten and a calico tabby cat cuddling on a pink blanket on a green corduroy swivel chair. The paws of the calico are wrapped around the back and belly of the black kitten. The kitten has a pink post-surgery smock on.A black kitten wearing a pink post-surgery smock sitting on a black and grey hooded sweatshirt on top of a blue striped piece of fabric on a table. The left ear of the kitten is curled upward revealing a greyish pink inner ear. The kitten is staring into the camera with big yellow eyes.A black kitten wearing a pink post-surgery smock, lying on a blue upholstered chair with tail wrapped closely next to them. They are staring to the right of frame intently.
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BrettC, Ph.D. @brettc.bsky.social · 31/01/2026
Deydies and gentledem da weekend!
A torbie cat lying on a raised platform of a beige cat tree. The cat is looking proper with head raised, eyes forward, and front paws aligned side by side in front of them
A black cat lying in a beige fabric basket with both ears curled backward.An orange cat lying on a faux fur blanket on a bed. They are asleep but their head is lifted up, slightly tilted forward.A black cat wearing a pink post-surgery smock standing somewhat awkwardly with back legs spread wide, looking forward and upward directly at the camera
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BrettC, Ph.D. @brettc.bsky.social · 24/01/2026
Deydies and gentledem, da weekend!
A large torbie cat sitting on the middle platform of a beige cat tree. The cat's mouth is wide open, in the middle of a yawn.A black kitten lying in a beige basket of a green and beige cat tree. Their ears are both curled back exposing pinkish grey skin.A black kitten and a calico tabby cat cuddling together in the same beige basket of a beige and green cat tree. The calico tabby's front paws are wrapped around the neck of the black kitten.A closeup angle of a black kitten lying on a faux fur blanket. The angle makes the back legs of the cat, which are closest to the camera, appear extremely long
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Reposted by BrettC, Ph.D.
Anna Phylaxis @quatoria.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
They're trying to murder these people. This isn't the first time, and it won't be the last. In Canada, they called them "Starlight Tours." The intention was to take folks and dump them in remote places with the hope that exposure would do the killing for them. This is attempted murder.
gladue.usask.ca
Freezing Deaths: The Starlight Tours | Gladue Rights Research Database
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BrettC, Ph.D. @brettc.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
I planned a Ms. Rachel outfit (denim overalls over a pink T-shirt) today, but I didn't intend for it to be so on the nose with the phonetics production and IPA practice exercises we did in class today
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BrettC, Ph.D. @brettc.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
Is /ʃb/ a permissible onset cluster in (your) English?
The top part of the Wikipedia article for Xbox, Yucatán (all text):
Xbox, Yucatán 
Town in Yucatán, México
Not to be confused with Xbox.
X'box (/ʃboʊʃ/), alternatively called X-box or more simply Xbox, is a town in the Mexican state of Yucatán. It is part of the municipality of Chacsinkín and has a population of 229 as of 2000, with 123 men and 106 women living in 36 homes. The whole population of the village works either in...
(The sentence continues outside of the crop of this screenshot.)
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BrettC, Ph.D. @brettc.bsky.social · 17/01/2026
Deydies and gentledem, da weekend!
A torbie cat lying on a platform of a beige cat tree next to a tall window. They're sleepy with a front paw hanging straight off the edge of the platform.A torbie cat lying on a platform of a beige cat tree. They are now awake and have both front paws hanging off the platform in front of them.An orange cat and a black cat cuddle together on a sofa. The kitten is just beginning to yawn so they have a bit of a derpy face.A calico tabby cat standing on a beige and green cat tree, rubbing their head on a green support post.
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BrettC, Ph.D. @brettc.bsky.social · 15/01/2026
the two traditional genders: game boy and game gear(l) but do not forget the nonbinary precursor to these genders: game & watch
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BrettC, Ph.D. @brettc.bsky.social · 15/01/2026
Enjoying the fact that the clipart world map I'm using in my Indigenous Studies course has omitted the British Isles (along with most other islands of their size or smaller)
A world map in an equal-area type projection, with landmasses in green and water in transparency. Antarctica is not omitted, as are many islands. The only non-continental islands shown are Victoria Island, Baffin Island, Greenland, Madagascar, Sumatra, Borneo, and New Guinea.
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Reposted by BrettC, Ph.D.
Emily M. Bender @emilymbender.bsky.social · 15/01/2026
So all of the info on Wikipedia is shared under a Creative Commons Share Alike license. Does this mean that MSFT, Meta and Amazon will be making their models freely available?
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BrettC, Ph.D. @brettc.bsky.social · 10/01/2026
Deydies and gentledem, da weekend!
A black kitten lying Ina beige cat tree basket looking at the camera with yellow eyes.A calico tabby cat lying in a beige cat tree basket, looking sleepy.A black kitten and an orange tabby cat lying on a pink blanket on a green corduroy swivel chair. The orange cat is lying with their head up and facing forward toward the camera, while the black kitten is lying on their side, wrapping front and back paws around the orange cat's body.A calico tabby cat and a black kitten play fighting on beige carpeted stairs. The calico is lying on a step above the black kitten, attacking with open mouth and a clawed paw. The kitten is on their back on the step below in a defensive position with paws reaching toward the calico
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BrettC, Ph.D. @brettc.bsky.social · 10/01/2026
As LSA 2026 takes place in my hometown, I can't help but to think of the last LSA meeting I attended, 2020, also in New Orleans It feels like so much has changed since then but at the same time so much has remained the same
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Reposted by BrettC, Ph.D.
Neil P Bardhan @neilpbardhan.bsky.social · 08/01/2026
Let's go! Let's do the thing! Let's have it! The Thursday scream!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!
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BrettC, Ph.D. @brettc.bsky.social · 08/01/2026
It's teaching time 😎
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BrettC, Ph.D. @brettc.bsky.social · 08/01/2026
I deleted my 14000+ tweets today. But while I was over there checking that the script worked, I saw linguists lamenting about how the main alternatives to linguistics twitter are too political and not linguistic enough. If you don't want politics maybe stay off the internet?
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BrettC, Ph.D. @brettc.bsky.social · 08/01/2026
Hot take: nobody should have absolute immunity. Not even a sith lord
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