Research projects
Projects
Current projects
Doctoral research
Neological diffusion and term competition
PhD by articles · Université Laval
My doctoral research examines why some neologisms spread while others remain marginal. The project focuses on linguistic and extralinguistic factors associated with neological diffusion, with attention to competing forms, corpus evidence, social circulation, and institutional language-planning contexts.
The thesis is being developed by articles, combining a scoping review with empirical studies of term competition and diffusion across different types of data.
Related outputs
F1000Research protocol
Frazer-McKee, G., Paquette Raynard, E., Gignac, N., Dulude, D., & Courbon, B. (2026).
Linguistic and extralinguistic factors associated with neological (non-)diffusion: A protocol for a scoping review of the English- and French-language literatures (1952–2026).
F1000Research, 15, 984.
Post-MA thesis
Degree adverbs and proper names
The “degree adverb + proper name” construction
This project stems from my MA thesis and examines constructions such as very Kurt Cobain, so Montréal, or très Paris. It investigates how proper names can be used predicatively and how degree adverbs interact with the semantic and cognitive mechanisms that allow names to evoke bundles of salient properties.
The project connects construction grammar, semantics, cognitive linguistics, and corpus-based analysis.
Related outputs
IRP journal article
Frazer-McKee, G., & Duffley, P. J. (2024).
The cognitive mechanisms involved in the “DEGREE ADVERB + PROPER NAME” construction: Evaluating proposals from Construction Grammar and Formal Semantics.
International Review of Pragmatics, 16(2), 188–231.
Book chapter
Courbon, B., & Frazer-McKee, G. (forthcoming).
Représentations associées à trois métropoles occidentales : étude sémantique des constructions très + {Montréal, New York, Paris} et very + {Montreal, New York, Paris}.
In Représentations de l’espace dans le lexique.
Conference tools
Tools for the Journées de linguistique
Evaluation, abstract writing, and editorial project management
This project brings together tools developed through my work with the Journées de linguistique: an evaluation rubric for submissions, guidance on writing informative conference abstracts, and workflows for managing student-led editorial projects.
The goal is to make academic evaluation and publication processes more explicit, transparent, and useful for students and early-career researchers.
Related outputs
Conference abstract guidelines
Frazer-McKee, G., & Vogh, K. (2022).
Graduate students would benefit from guidelines for preparing conference abstracts: A rhetorical moves analysis of French-language conference abstracts in language-related fields.
WALLY: Working Papers in Applied Linguistics and Linguistics at York, 2(1), 89–111.
Proceedings guide
Frazer-McKee, G., Gignac, N., & Wong, L. (2025).
Publier ses actes de colloque en ≈ 12 mois : guide à l’intention des éditeur·trice·s étudiant·e·s.
Actes des Journées de linguistique, 1, vi–xxv.
Abstract-writing article
Frazer-McKee, G. (2026).
Préparer un résumé scientifique informatif et bien structuré : un facteur clé pour être accepté·e en colloque.
Actes des Journées de linguistique, 2, 1–8.