Objectives as Professor/Researcher

What I offer is sharing of research methods and critical thinking. I teach my students to do the kinds of things that I have done and am doing. To get an idea of how I came to see this as my primary role as a teacher, you might find it interesting to read the attached essay on What Makes an Effective Teacher?

Click here to see Oller's current Curriculum Vita.

I tend to work at the edge of various fields of study and am less interested in middle of the road thinking. In addition to theoretical linguistics, this method has drawn me into fields such as measurement and testing, theories of intelligence, and genetics. I am interested, as Einstein was (according to his biographers) in "how God made the universe". I don't want merely to confront puzzles, but to solve them if possible, and some remarkably stubborn puzzles are solvable.

Take the autism puzzle for instance. In its severe form, affecting about 40% or so of the persons with this condition, it leaves individuals so thoroughly isolated that they may not know their own mother or be able to dress or tie their shoes. A few years ago Dana Rascon got me interested in studying autism and related neurodegenerative disorders. I began with the intention of trying to improve the measurement of the severity of autism. That work led to a publication with Dana in 1999 showing how to distinguish 16 levels of severity on the autism spectrum. More recently, accumulating data shows that autism has been on an exponential growth curve. In the 1990s the rise took on a growth rate that has continued unabated even after the criteria for diagnosis were broadened in 1994. We think the increase is not uncaused. More importantly current research and the responsiveness of affected individuals to certain treatments cause us to believe that the upward trend can be slowed, or perhaps even stopped altogether, by focusing on underlying causes. That's what Autism07 was about. We know that one of the toxins involved in the epidemic of neurodegenerative disorders that have increased greatly in the last four or five decades is mercury. Folks just didn't take adequate account of how toxic it is. For a brief introduction see Chapter 12 of the Milestones book 2006. So, how are people being poisoned by mercury? Through water? Fish? Actually, some of the mercury contamination is coming from environmental sources, but most of it is coming from medicines. The preservative thimerosal (Brit. thiomersal) which is still in certain childhood vaccines and other medicines is about 49% mercury by weight. Dental amalgam, the so-called "silver" fillings are 49% mercury by weight also. Both forms of mercury are highly neurotoxic and both cross the blood brain barrier in addition to damaging all vital organs.

The discovery that mercury in any form is a factor in causing and/or exacerbating neurodegenerative conditions is uncontroversial. The argument is not against vaccines as such, nor against dental fillings as such. The argument is against mercury. It would be good, if it were true, as one of our colleagues has recently claimed , that "thimerosal has not been used for almost 10 years and so that is not a problem any more" But, unfortunately, that is not true. Readers are referred to Kirby's even-handed book Evidence of Harm. The mercury issue is far from resolved. According to a recent JAMA article published (April 19, 2006) approximately 12 metric tons of mercury were placed in human mouths last year alone (70M fillings at about 750mg per filling). Research shows that medical procedures, especially dentistry, is introducing the greatest amounts of this neurotoxin into our water and fish as well as our bodies. See the web site of the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology (IAOMT) where you can view two films showing the amazing neurotoxicity of mercury (also on the Milestones DVDs). The evidence also shows that dental amalgam releases large amounts of mercury vapor. Dental amalgam, according to Fritz Lorscheider's published research (see the references for all this in the Milestones book; also see the "How Mercury Causes Brain Degeneration Video" at the IAOMT site), accounts for about 70% of mercury body burden in human subjects. The toxicology research is unambiguous and vast in the year 2007. Over 3,284 studies on the Web of Science show that mercury is neurotoxic, genotoxic, carcinogenic, etc. Relevant research showing toxicity of mercury in parts per billion goes back to the earliest records on that database beginning in 1973.

It is possible to solve problems like the mystery of the etiology of autism? It was in the theoretical writings of Charles S. Peirce, that I first saw how it should be possible to actually solve some seemingly intractable mysteries. And, as Einstein put it following Galileo and others, the solutions are often both "beautiful and simple". There are many shades of gray it is true, but there are also many hues of brightness, intensity, and color in the universe. The greatest puzzle of all, I believe, and the one I have chosen to devote the most thought to, is the comprehensibility of the universe. Why should it be possible for us to understand any representations at all? To understand any experience? Why should we be able to observe and describe an eclipse of the sun? Why should we be able to measure the spectral properties of light? Or assess the composition of distant stars, galaxies, and so on? Why, more specifically, should we be able to know our address or phone numbers? And on and on ad infinitum.

It is remarkable that we can understand a great deal about our world. Is our understanding limited? Surely it is, but the power of thought itself seems not to be limited to the extent that some skeptical philosophers, psychologists, and intellectuals are fond of supposing. The theory of true narrative representations (TNR-theory) together with other theories grounded in it and their related experimental findings show that mundane truth itself is a fairly simple matter. An 8 year old child (as the research shows, see Milestones, chapter 9) can usually grasp the gist of it without much difficulty. If we say there is a book on the table when there is one there, then, that's true, but if there is no book on the table when we say there is one there, that is false. If I say that Doris B. Hawthorne is one of the benefactors along with the Board of Regents of Louisiana who established certain endowed professorships that statement is true because the facts deliver what the representation claims of them.

If the facts deliver whatever the representation that refers to them claims of those facts, then, the representation is as true as any representation can be. The principle is both simple and elegant and it is general and irrefutable. It can be parsed up and proved to a fare-thee-well (i.e., till there is absolutely nothing more that is meaningful to say about the matter). Granted, there are many complexities associated with the determination of valid and invalid inferences drawn from true representations, but it is quite interesting that all of the fictions, all of the errors, and all of the lies that can ever have the slightest modicum of content associated with them depend on ordinary TNRs in order to become vested with that content. All this has been proved in the logico-mathematical way and, if those proofs could be shown to be inconsistent, the whole house of mathematics would collapse dragging the sciences along. So, a great deal depends on truth of the simplest variety. Hence, it is also not altogether unreasonable to expect scientific principles and findings to be elegant and simple. Consider Einstein's simple formula: E = mc2.

Of course, we need to ask early and often whether or not solving the problem selected for study will make any difference. Will it advance knowledge? Solve a problem? Cure a disease? Reduce the symptoms of an undesirable condition? In other words, how important is the problem we are addressing?

In addition to the projects mentioned on the front page of the web site, here are a few of the projects undertaken over the last three years or so. I list some of the joint projects and some of the ones by students and colleagues who have granted me the great privilege of working with them (these are listed more or less alphabetically by first author):

Badon, L. C., and Oller, J. W., Jr. (2006). Hans Reichenbach. In K. Brown (ed.), Encyclopedia of language and linguistics, 2nd Edition (p. 484). Article number 2846.

Badon, L. C., and Oller, J. W., Jr. (2006). Bertrand Russell. In K. Brown (ed.), Encyclopedia of language and linguistics, 2nd Edition (p. 691). Article number 1258.

Badon, L. C., and Oller, J. W., Jr. (2006). Peter F. Strawson. In K. Brown (ed.), Encyclopedia of language and linguistics, 2nd Edition (p. 159). Article number 2911.

Badon, L. C., Oller, J. W., Jr., & Oller, S. D. (2005). Enabling literacy in at-risk learners: Decoding surface form versus attending to meaning and narrative structure. Psychology of Language and Communication, 9(1), 5-27.

Badon, L. C., Oller, S. D., & Oller, J. W., Jr. (2005). Qualitative ratings within and across ethnic boundaries of maximally different methods of one on one reading instruction. Journal of Communication Disorders, 38(6), 445-457.

Badon, L. C., Oller, S. D., Yan, R. & Oller, J. W., Jr. (2005).Gating walls and bridging gaps: Validity in language teaching, learning, and assessment. Teachers College, Columbia University Working Papers in TESOL & Applied Linguistics, 5(1), 1-15.

Chen, L. (2004). On text structure, language proficiency, and reading comprehension test format interactions: a reply to Kobayashi, 2002. Language Testing, 21(2), 228-234.

Chen, L. (2003). A theta-theoretical approach to quantifier float in Chinese. In Feng-Hsi Liu (Ed.), Proceedings of the 14th North America Conference on Chinese Linguistics (NACCL-14), pp. 47-64.

Chen, L. (2005). Review of Croft, W. and Cruse, D. Alan. (2004). Cognitive Linguistics. Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press. Critical Inquiry in Language Studies, 2(3), 181-184.

Chen, L. (2007). The acquisition and use of motion event expressions in Mandarin Chinese. München, Germany: Lincom GmbH. [Series Title: LINCOM Studies in Chinese Linguistics 03]

Chen, L., & Oller, J. W., Jr. (2005). High quality sound motion pictures in L2 curricula: Why and how they work. Canadian Modern Language Review, 62(2), 263-284.

Chen, L., & Pan, N. (2003). Negative effect, LF subjacency and feature movement: A comparison between French and Chinese. Journal of Cognitive Sciences (China)1, 124-144.

Chen, L., & Pan, N. (2004) The categorial status of finite complements of xiangxin “believe” and renwei “think” in Chinese. In Y. H. Lin (ed.) Proceedings of the 15th North America Conference on Chinese Linguistics, 45-53.

Chen, L. & Pan, N. (2003). Negative effect, LF subjacency and feature movement: A comparison between French and Chinese. Journal of Cognitive Sciences 1, 124-144.

Chen, L. & Pan, N. (2004). The selectional properties of renwei ‘think' type verbs and xiangxin ‘believe' type verbs in Chinese. In Y.-H. Lin (Ed.), Proceedings of 15th North America Conference on Chinese Linguistics (NACCL-15), pp. 45-53.

Chen, L. & Guo, J. (2009). Motion events in Chinese novels: Evidence for an equipollently-framed language. Journal of Pragmatics, 41(9), 1749-1766.

Chen, L. & Guo, J. (2010). From Language Structures to Language Use: A Case from Mandarin Motion Expression Classification. Chinese Language and Discourse, 1(1), 31-65.

Chen, L., & Oller, J. W., Jr. (2005). High quality sound motion pictures in L2 curricula: Why and how they work. Canadian Modern Language Review, 62(2), 263-284.

Chen, L. & Pan, N. (2009). Development of English referring expressions in narratives of Chinese-English bilinguals. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 12(4): 429-445 .

Chen, L. & Whittington, D. (in press). Organizing intervention relative to the client's personal experience: A clinical case study. Manuscript accepted for publication. Clinical Linguistics and Phonetics.

Chen, L., & Yan, R. (2011). Development and use of evaluative expressions in the English narratives of Chinese-English bilinguals. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 14(4): 570-578.

Oller, J. W., Jr. & Chen, Liang. (2007). Episodic organization in discourse and valid measurement in the sciences. Journal of Quantitative Linguistics, 14, 127-144.

Oller, J. W., Jr., and Badon, L. C.(2006). Albert Einstein. In K. Brown (ed.), Encyclopedia of language and linguistics, 2nd Edition, (p. 87). Article number 5231.

Oller, J. W., Jr., & Oller, S. D. (2010). Autism: The diagnosis, treatment, and etiology of the undeniable epidemic. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.

Oller, J. W., Jr., Oller, S. D., & Badon, L. C. (2006). Milestones: Normal speech and language development across the life span. San Diego, CA: Plural Publishing, Inc.

Oller, J. W., Jr., Badon, L. C., & Oller, S. D. (2010). Cases: Introducing communication disorders across the life span. San Diego, CA: Plural Publishing, Inc.

Oller, J. W., Jr., Chen, L., Oller, S. D., and Pan, N. (2005). Empirical predictions from a general theory of signs. Discourse Processes, 40(2), 115-144.

Oller, J. W., Jr. et. al. (2001). Questions and answers: Issues in dyslexia and second language learning. In C. Ciresi (Ed.), The International Dyslexia Association 52nd Annual Conference, October 24-27, 2001, Albuquerque, New Mexico (pp. 9-16). Baltimore, Maryland: International Dyslexia Association.

Oller, J. W., Jr., Kim, K., & Choe, Y. (2001). Can instructions to nonverbal IQ tests be given in pantomime? Additional applications of a general theory of signs. Semiotica, 133(1/4), 15-44.

Oller, J. W., Jr., Kim, K., Choe, Y., & Hernandez-Jarvis, Lorna. (2001). Testing verbal (language) and nonverbal abilities in children and adults acquiring a nonprimary language. Language Testing, 18(1), 33-54.

Oller, J. W., Jr., Oller, S. D., & Badon, L. C. (in progress). Milestones: Normal speech and language development across the life span. Under contract, due date to publisher January 30, 2006.

Oller, S. D. (2005). Meaning matters: A clinician's/student's guide to general sign theory and its applicability in clinical settings. Journal of Communication Disorders, 38, 359-373.

Oller, S. D. (2009). A factorial comparison of speech/language assessments: relating the vowel space to referential communication tasks. Köln, Germany: Lambert Academic Publishing AG & Co. KG.

Pan, N., & Chen, L. (2005). Phonological/phonemic awareness and reading: A crosslinguistic perspective. Journal of Multilingual Communication Disorders, 3(2), 145-152.

Pan, N., & Snyder, W. (2005). Acquisition of phonological empty categories: A case study of early child Dutch. In A. M. Di Sciullo, & R. Delmonte (eds.), UG and External Systems. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.

Pan, N., & Snyder, W. (2004) Acquisition of /s/-initial clusters: A parametric approach. In A. Brugos, L. Micciulla & C. E. Smith (eds.), Proceedings of the 28th Annual Boston University Conference on Language Development, 436-446. Somerville, MA: Cascadilla Press.

Pan, N., & Snyder, W. (2003) Setting the parameters of syllable structure in early child Dutch. In B. Beachley, A. Brown, & F. Conlin, (eds.), Proceedings of the 27th Annual Boston University Conference on Language Development, 615-625. Somerville, MA: Cascadilla Press.

Yan, R. (2006). On 'chain-preserving deletion procedure in cloze': a reply to Dastjerdi and Talebinezhad, 2006. Language Testing, 23(3), 402-407.

Yan, R. (2009). Assessing English language proficiency in international aviation: Issues of reliability, validity, and aviation safety. VDM Publishing House Ltd.

Yan. R., & Oller, J. W. Jr. (In progress). Reflections on learning and intermodal transfer in newborns. Unpublished manuscript, Department of Communicative Disorders, University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

Yan, R., & Oller, J. W., Jr. (2007). Processing-dependent measures as a failed solution to the assessment of individuals from language and dialect minorities. Communicative Disorders Review, 1(3). September-December, Article 4, 14 pages.

*Any errors and the ideas expressed here are solely those of the webmaster of this site. Contact joller@louisiana.edu.

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