Welcome to the Department of Linguistics and Communication Disorders

The Department of Linguistics and Communication Disorders brings together specialization in theoretical, experimental and applied linguistics with leading clinically based research on speech language pathology and communication disorders. We incorporate current research in these fields into teaching on our highly ranked graduate and undergraduate programs.
For all information regarding major and minor applications and declarations contact:
For Communication Sciences and Disorders contact:
Gail A Oswald (Gail.Oswald@qc.cuny.edu)
For General Linguistics and TESOL undergraduate contact:
Maria Cadme (Maria.Cadme@qc.cuny.edu)
For TESOL Graduate contact:
Mitchell Proux (Mitchell.Proux@qc.cuny.edu)
For MA in Speech Language Pathology contact:
Eileen Sprague (Eileen.Sprague@qc.cuny.edu)
Scholarship Opportunity for CSD Majors |
We are pleased to announce the JFEW Scholars Program in Communication Sciences and Disorders for the Fall 2024 semester – thanks to a generous grant from JFEW. You may be one of the lucky recipients! Applications will be accepted until July 15, 2024! The scholarship award has been increased to $2000 per semester! |
Computational linguists are in high demand. They work on voice recognition, text to speech, and adding functions to all kinds of apps that interact with language. See this story about Zainab Akande, a 2022 General Linguistics grad, who is beginning her MA in Computational Linguistics at the CUNY Graduate Center.
Click on the link for information about the General Linguistics major and Computational Linguistics minor or contact Prof. Bill Haddican.

DEPARTMENT NEWS
Great News: Starting in Fall 2025, we will be joined by Associate Professor of Speech Language Pathology and Communication Sciences and Disorders, Avinash Mishra (Ph.D. CCC).
Distinguished Professor Kate Menken was awarded the 2025 the Gladys Correa Memorial Award from New York State Association for Bilingual Education (NYSABE) and the 2025 Charles Ferguson Award for Outstanding Scholarship from the Center for Applied Linguistics
Assistant Professor Mara Steinberg Lowe has been appointed to Doctoral Faculty in the Speech Language Hearing Sciences Program at the CUNY Graduate Center. This will allow her to teach graduate courses and to mentor MA and Ph.D. students at the GC.
Professor Stanley Gelfand has recently published these two books, one of which is co-authored by Lauren Calendruccio who is a former LCD faculty member:
- Gelfand, S.A. (2025). Hearing: An Introduction to Psychological and Physiological Acoustics, 7th Ed. Boca Raton: CRC Press/Taylor & Francis.
- Gelfand, S.A., and Calandruccio, L. (2023). Essentials of Audiology, 5th Ed. New York: Thieme Medical Publishers.
Associate Professor Elizabeth Ijalba has won the President’s Award for Excellence in Research and Creativity in the School of Arts and Humanities
General Linguistics major Stephania Zanabria has won the Clara Franke Scholarship for this year!
Daniel Kaufman’s ongoing collaborative work in mapping and documenting the languages of New York City has culminated in the release of the Digital Map of the Languages of New York City, which can now be seen at: www.languagemap.nyc
Mara Lowe has received a $10,000 grant from the National Aphasia Association for her project entitled “Combined Personalized Word Naming and Spaced Retrieval Training for Primary Progressive Aphasia: A Preliminary Investigation. This is a very competetive grant, and Professor Lowe’s was one of only two chosen out of 25 applicants.
Speech-Language-Hearing Center
Administrative Assistant: Eileen Sprague
Office: Kissena Hall 2, Suite 100
Phone: 718-997-2930 or 718-997-2946
Fax: 718-997-2935
To reach us by public transportation, use the Q25, Q34 (via Kissena Blvd.), or Q64 (via Jewel Avenue), or Q88 (via Horace Harding) buses. Kissena Hall is located at 64-19 Kissena Boulevard.
Department Office
Office Hours are currently Monday-Thursday, 10-4.
Faculty can be reached by email and are holding office hours by phone or video-conference.
For all other matters, please send an email to the department secretary, or leave a phone message.
Department Leadership
Department Chair: Michael Newman
Associate Department Chair: Sima Gerber
Director of Applied Linguistics/TESOL Programs: Lauren Heffernan
Director of General Linguistics Programs: Michael Newman
Director of Undergraduate Communication Sciences and Disorders Programs: Yael Neumann
Director of Graduate Speech-Language Pathology MA: Patricia McCaul
Office Personnel and Program Admissions
Department Secretary: Maria Cadme
Academic Program Officer for TESOL and Linguistics: Mitchell Proux
College Assistant for BA in Communication Sciences and Disorders: Gail Oswald
College Assistant for MA in Speech-Language Pathology: Eileen Sprague
Queens Hall, Room 300A
Phone: 718-997-2870
Fax: 718-997-2873