CV
Dr. Jayden L. Macklin-Cordes
Summary
I am a quantitative historical linguist investigating how language structures change over deep time, and what their evolution reveals about cultural evolution and human cognition. I employ a primarily Bayesian toolkit: phylogenetic tree inference, phylogenetic comparative methods, ancestral state reconstruction, and phylogeographic regression. My PhD and subsequent published works develop phylogenetic methods for phonology, particularly phonotactics, with a regional focus on languages of Australia. In parallel, I work on the evolution of conceptual categories (nominal classification, case semantics, number), with work extending to broader Sahul (Australia and New Guinea), Tibeto-Burman, and worldwide language samples. Most recently, I have turned attention to the design of agentic LLM pipelines for large-scale extraction of linguistic data from published grammars.
Skills
Statistical methods
Bayesian inference and multilevel modelling (brms), Bayesian phylogenetic tree inference (BEAST), phylogenetic comparative methods, ancestral state reconstruction, phylogeographic regression (BayesTraits, R).
Programming
R (highly proficient, including the tidyverse, Bioconductor suite, phylogenetic packages [ape, phytools], geospatial packages [sf]), Python, Javascript, LaTeX.
Research automation
Design of agentic LLM pipelines for large-scale extraction of linguistic data from published grammars. Agents consult structured knowledge bases, iteratively draft, self-critique and refine their output, and record grammar-specific idiosyncrasies for later use.
Data visualisation
ggplot2, ggmap, ggtree. Interactive apps and mapping (Shiny, leaflet).
Open science
Git (https://github.com/JaydenM-C), Zenodo/OSF (e.g. https://zenodo.org/records/7257104). Reproducibility tools (renv, Docker).
Portfolio
phonfreq
A package for visualising phoneme frequency distributions in Australian languages.
CLtemplate, DeGruytertemplate, LDCtemplate, UQpresentation
A series of packages providing Rmarkdown templates for authoring Computational Linguistics articles, De Gruyter articles and books, Language Dynamics and Change articles and University of Queensland-branded slideshow presentations. All at https://github.com/JaydenM-C/[name].
JaydenM-C/PN_treebuilding
A repository of code (R, C, TeX) for inferring phylogenetic trees from phonotactic and lexical data.
JaydenM-C/chromatography
Codebase for Chromatography (https://chromatography.pages.dev/). A web-based desktop app for crafting colour palettes from photographs.
JaydenM-C/rawshuck
Codebase for Rawshuck (https://rawshuck.pages.dev/). A web and Python app for culling RAW+JPEG photo shoots, discarding unwanted RAW files independently of their JPEG counterparts.
JaydenM-C/sc-alchemist
Repository of code (Python) implementing MCMC optimisation for AFL fantasy team selection, with user-defined constraint functions.
JaydenM-C/AusErdle
Codebase for the AusErdle app, a Wordle spinoff using Australian English phonemic transcriptions.
Work Experience
- Postdoctoral Research Fellow2026-06 - presentUniversity of Surrey, UKSurrey Morphology Group
- Revoluphon: Rational Evolutionary Phonology (Prof E. Round)
- Lecturer in Linguistics (tenure equivalent)2022-12 - 2025-08University of Newcastle, AustraliaSchool of Creative Industries, Humanities and Social Sciences
- Postdoctoral Researcher2021-11 - 2022-11CNRS, Université Lumière Lyon 2, Lyon, FranceUMR 5596: Laboratoire Dynamique du Langage (DDL)
- EVOGRAM: The role of linguistic and non-linguistic factors in the evolution of nominal classification system
Education
- Ph.D. (Linguistics)Jun 2021The University of Queensland, Australia
- Bachelor of Arts (Honours, Class I)Jun 2015The University of Queensland, AustraliaCourses: Major: Linguistics (extended), Minor: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander studies
Publications
- Challenges of sampling and how phylogenetic comparative methods help: With a case study of the Pama-Nyungan laminal contrastMacklin-Cordes, Jayden L. & Erich R. Round. 2022. Linguistic Typology 26(3). pp. 533–572. https://doi.org/10.1515/lingty-2021-0025.
- Phylogenetic signal in phonotacticsMacklin-Cordes, Jayden L., Claire Bowern & Erich R. Round. 2021. Diachronica 38(2). pp. 210–258. https://doi.org/10.1075/dia.20004.mac.
- Re-evaluating Phoneme FrequenciesMacklin-Cordes, Jayden L. & Erich R. Round. 2020. Frontiers in Psychology 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.570895.
- Automated Parsing of Interlinear Glossed Text from Page Images of Grammatical DescriptionsRound, Erich R., T. Mark Ellison, Jayden L. Macklin-Cordes & Sacha Beniamine. 2020. In Proceedings of The 12th Language Resources and Evaluation Conference, 2878–2883. Marseille, France: European Language Resources Association. https://www.aclweb.org/anthology/2020.lrec-1.351.
- High-definition phonotactics reflect linguistic pastsMacklin-Cordes, Jayden L. & Erich R. Round. 2015. In Proceedings of the 6th Quantitative Investigations in Theoretical Linguistics Conference. Tübingen, Germany: University of Tübingen. https://doi.org/10.15496/publikation-8609.
Presentations
- Constituent order in subordinate clauses: A comparison of Mudburra, Warlmanpa and Warriyangga/Thiinma
- Clouded vision: Why insights improve when uncertainty about data is made explicitRound, Erich R. & Jayden L. Macklin-Cordes. 2019. International Conference on Historical Linguistics (ICHL24)Australian National University, Canberra, Australia. . https://cloudstor.aarnet.edu.au/plus/s/WOmUM73NVJQFqf6.
- Historical signal beyond the cognate: Phonotactics in linguistic phylogeneticsMacklin-Cordes, Jayden L. & Erich R. Round. 2019. International Conference on Historical Linguistics (ICHL24)Australian National University, Canberra, Australia. . https://cloudstor.aarnet.edu.au/plus/s/zN5AbJ4fXoVR0ax.
- High-definition phonotactic typology in Sahul: Choosing the data-rich approachMacklin-Cordes, Jayden L. 2017. Conference of the Association of Linguistic Typology (ALT XII)Australian National University, Canberra, Australia. https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.5861067. .
- Robots who read grammars [poster]Macklin-Cordes, Jayden L., Nathaniel L. Blackbourne, Thomas J. Bott, Jacqueline Cook, T. Mark Ellison, Jordan Hollis, Edith E. Kirlew, Genevieve C. Richards, Sanle Zhao & Erich R. Round. 2017. CoEDL FestAlexandra Park Conference Centre, Alexandra Headlands, QLD, Australia. https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.4625248. .
- The Cape York lexical records of Bruce SommerHollis, Jordan, Genevieve C. Richards, Jayden L. Macklin-Cordes & Erich R. Round. 2016. Australian Linguistics Society Annual Conference (ALS 2016)Monash University, Caulfield, Australia. https://dx.doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.4299377. .
- Evaluating information loss from phonological dimensionality reductionMacklin-Cordes, Jayden L., Steven P. Moran & Erich R. Round. 2016. SST2016 Satellite Symposium: The role of predictability in shaping human language sound patternsWestern Sydney University, Australia. https://dx.doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.4465976. .
- High-definition phonotactic data contain phylogenetic signal [poster]Macklin-Cordes, Jayden L. & Erich R. Round. 2016a. Annual Meeting of the Linguistic Society of America (LSA 2016)Washington, DC. https://dx.doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.4534238. .
- Reflections of linguistic history in quantitative phonotacticsMacklin-Cordes, Jayden L. & Erich R. Round. 2016b. Australian Linguistic Society Annual Conference (ALS2016)Monash University, Caulfield, Australia. https://dx.doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.4299365. .
- Phylogenetic comparative methods: What all the fuss is about, and how to use them in everyday researchMacklin-Cordes, Jayden L. & Erich R. Round. 2021. Language and Data Analysis Laboratory (LADAL) webinarThe University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia. . https://youtu.be/yJeQ6AGDLK0.
Teaching
- LING3350 Structure of English2025University of Newcastle, AustraliaRole: Lecturer3rd year undergraduate, 112 students
- LING3350 Structure of English2024University of Newcastle, AustraliaRole: Lecturer3rd year undergraduate, 50 students
- LING3350 Structure of English2024University of Newcastle, AustraliaRole: Lecturer3rd year undergraduate, 86 students
- LING6910 Foundation of Linguistics2024University of Newcastle, AustraliaRole: Lecturer1st year masters, 5 students
- LING3350 Structure of English2023University of Newcastle, AustraliaRole: Lecturer3rd year undergraduate, 74 students
- LING3350 Structure of English2023University of Newcastle, AustraliaRole: Lecturer3rd year undergraduate, 78 students
- LING3002 Syntax2023University of Newcastle, AustraliaRole: Lecturer3rd year undergraduate, 8 students
- LING1005 Introduction to linguistics: the sound pattern of language2015University of Queensland, AustraliaRole: Lecturer1st year undergraduate, ~220 students
- LING6105 Introduction to linguistics: phonetics and phonology2015University of Queensland, AustraliaRole: Lecturer1st year masters, ~30 students
Languages
🇦🇺 English
native
🇮🇹 Italian
conversational
🇫🇷 French
basic
🇷🇴 Romanian
basic
🇪🇸 Spanish
beginner
🇩🇪 German
beginner
Referees
Referees available on request.