Cecilia Fernández-Altonaga
Pre-doctoral researcher
Presentation
I am a predoctoral researcher at The Bilingual Mind research team (UPV/EHU) and the IKER UMR5478 research center in Bayonne, through a cotutelle between the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) and the Université de Pau et des Pays de l’Adour (UPPA). I graduated in Basque Studies (UPV/EHU, 2017-2021) and I completed my studies with a masters in Theoretical and Experimental Linguistics (UPV/EHU, 2022). From 2022, I have been working on my dissertation under the supervision of professors Beatriz Fernández (UPV/EHU) and Urtzi Etxeberria (CNRS-IKER). Funding for this research comes from a pre-doctoral grant from the Spanish Ministry of Universities, FPU [FPU21/05860].
The goal of my dissertation is to offer a morphosyntactic and semantic analysis for various modifiers in Basque, particularly those that have traditionally been described as adverbs (e.g. those formed by the suffixes –ki, –ka, –rik and –ta) and thus, to explore the limits between predication and modification.
Hizkuntzalaritza eta Euskal Ikasketak Saila (UPV/EHU)
Centro de Investigación Micaela Portilla Ikergunea, Oficina 3.2 Bulegoa
Justo Vélez de Elorriaga, 1
01006 Vitoria-Gasteiz
Research interests
Modification, predication, adverbials, adjectives, determiners, syntax-semantics interface.
Papers
- Berro, Ane & Cecilia Fernández-Altonaga (2024). -KAdun adberbioez haratago: apurKA-apurKA baina beti aurreraKA. Euskera Ikerketa Aldizkaria 69(2): 47-91.
- Fernández-Altonaga, Cecilia (2022). Adberbioak euskaraz: hitz mota bakarra ala gehiago?. Uztaro 123: 81-107.
Online resources
- Fernández-Altonaga, Cecilia (2022). Alokutiboa eta tratamenduak: hiketa, xuketa eta zuketa. Euskara Bariazioan / Basque in Variation (BiV) (3.arg). Bilbao, Kristina, Ane Odria, Ane Berro, Josu Landa & Beatriz Fernández (ed.). UPV/EHUko argitalpen zerbitzua.
- Fernández-Altonaga, Cecilia (2022). Alokutiboa adierazpen perpausetatik at: di(n)ala (vs. duela). Euskara Bariazioan / Basque in Variation (BiV) (3.arg). Bilbao, Kristina, Ane Odria, Ane Berro, Josu Landa & Beatriz Fernández (ed.). UPV/EHUko argitalpen zerbitzua.
- Fernández-Altonaga, Cecilia (2022). Baldintza hipotetikoetako apodosian *edin/*ezan (vs. izan/*edun). Euskara Bariazioan / Basque in Variation (BiV) (3.arg). Bilbao, Kristina, Ane Odria, Ane Berro, Josu Landa & Beatriz Fernández (ed.). UPV/EHUko argitalpen zerbitzua.
- Fernández-Altonaga, Cecilia (2022). Menturazko etorkizuna adierazten duen -ke- marka: dukezu. Euskara Bariazioan / Basque in Variation (BiV) (3.arg). Bilbao, Kristina, Ane Odria, Ane Berro, Josu Landa & Beatriz Fernández (ed.). UPV/EHUko argitalpen zerbitzua.
- Fernández-Altonaga, Cecilia (2022). Ahalera ahal modalaren bidez: apurtzen ahal da (vs. apur daiteke). Euskara Bariazioan / Basque in Variation (BiV) (3.arg). Bilbao, Kristina, Ane Odria, Ane Berro, Josu Landa & Beatriz Fernández (ed.). UPV/EHUko argitalpen zerbitzua.
- Fernández-Altonaga, Cecilia (2022). Baldintza errealeko formak protasian iraganaldiko baldintza irreala adierazteko: egin (izan) bazuen (vs. egin (izan) balu). Euskara Bariazioan / Basque in Variation (BiV) (3.arg). Bilbao, Kristina, Ane Odria, Ane Berro, Josu Landa & Beatriz Fernández (3.arg) (ed.). UPV/EHUko argitalpen zerbitzua.
- Fernández-Altonaga, Cecilia (2022). Soziatiboa: -gaz (v -kin). Euskara Bariazioan / Basque in Variation (BiV) (3. arg.). Bilbao, Kristina, Ane Odria, Ane Berro, Josu Landa & Beatriz Fernández (ed.). UPV/EHUko Argitalpen Zerbitzua. ISBN: 978-84-1319-456-1.
- Fernández-Altonaga, Cecilia (2022). Soziatiboa: -kilan (v -kin). Euskara Bariazioan / Basque in Variation (BiV) (3. arg.). Bilbao, Kristina, Ane Odria, Ane Berro, Josu Landa & Beatriz Fernández (ed.). UPV/EHUko Argitalpen Zerbitzua. ISBN: 978-84-1319-456-1.
- Fernández-Altonaga, Cecilia (2022). Soziatibo/instrumental alternantzia: -kin, -kilan (v -z). Euskara Bariazioan / Basque in Variation (BiV) (3. arg.). Bilbao, Kristina, Ane Odria, Ane Berro, Josu Landa & Beatriz Fernández (ed.). UPV/EHUko Argitalpen Zerbitzua. ISBN: 978-84-1319-456-1.
- Bilbao, Kristina & Cecilia Fernández-Altonaga (2019). Le basque: quelques contrastes pertinents pour l’acquisition du Français Langue Seconde par des locuteurs du Basque. Langues et Grammaires du Monde dans l’Espace Francophone,.
Talks
- Fernández-Altonaga, Cecilia (2025). Ez da irakaslea baina irakasle dago: zer egiten du determinatzaileak predikazioan?. Azken Berriak Euskal Gramatikan. 18th of December, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Basque Country.
- Fernández-Altonaga, Cecilia (2025). A new look into predication and modification from Basque. Morphosyn, Seminar on Morphology and Syntax. 2nd of May, Linguistics department, University of Chicago.
- Fernández-Altonaga, Cecilia (2024). A look into modification through Basque. Weekly seminar in the Linguistics department. 25th of April, University Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona.
- Fernández-Altonaga, Cecilia (2025). Baionara pozik etorri gara vs. azkarki etorri gara. Modifikatzea eta predikatzea gauza bera al dira? [We came to Bayonne happy vs. quickly: is modifying the same as predicating?]. IKER Weekly Seminar. 4th of February, IKER-UMR 5478 research laboratory. Bayonne.
- Fernández-Altonaga, Cecilia (2024). -a, -ta, -rik in modifying participles in Basque. BIDE Linguistics Seminar. 14th of November, University of Deusto. Bilbao.
- Fernández-Altonaga, Cecilia (2023). Adberbioak aztergai: kategoriaren auzia argitzeko zenbait gogoeta. V. Ikergazte: ikertzaile euskaldunen bosgarren kongresua. 17th-19th of May, San Sebastian-Donostia, Basque Country.
- Fernández-Altonaga, Cecilia (2023). Towards the underlying structure of adverbs. Workshop on Language and Linguistics: Theoretical and Experimental Approaches to Comparative Syntax (HiTT Linguistics research group). 6th of February, UPV/EHU, Vitoria-Gasteiz.
- Fernández-Altonaga, Cecilia (2022). On adverbs: to be or not to be (a grammatical category). Seminar at the Linguistic Seminars (SemLin) (HiTT Linguistics research group). 18th of November, UPV/EHU, Vitoria-Gasteiz.
Visiting fellowships
2025. Pre-doctoral stay: University of Chicago, Chicago, IL (USA). Under the supervision of prof. Anastasia Giannakidou.
2019. Undergrad stay abroad: Through the Erasmus+ programme: Concordia University, Montreal (Canada).
Participation in funded research projects
2024-: On argument structure, Voice and morphology in Euskara, the Basque language (Morfeus) (PID2023-147383NB-I00) (Principal Investigators: Beatriz Fernández and Ane Berro)
2024-2025: Gogo Elebiduna/The Bilingual Mind (IT1439-22) (Principal Investigator/Ikertzaile Nagusia: Itziar Laka)
August 2022-October 2022: Solving the language puzzle: Basque morphosyntax in variation (PGC2018-096380-B-I00) (Principal Investigator: Beatriz Fernández)
January 2022-June 2022: The Bilingual Mind (IT1439-22). Consolidated Research Group of Excellence. (Principal Investigator: Itziar Laka)
2021 Langues et Grammaires du Monde (Previous Langues & Grammaires en Ile-de-France), coordinated by Anne Zribe-Hertz and Elena Soare (Université Paris 8/UMR SFL).
Conferences
Abstract peer reviewed
2025
Fernández-Altonaga, Cecilia. Modifiers are not (always) predicates. 2nd International Workshop on the Syntax of Predication and Modification. Held at the Hungarian Research Center for Linguistics, Budapest. September 1-2, 2025
2023
Fernández-Altonaga, Cecilia. «Adberbioak aztergai: kategoriaren auzia argitzeko zenbait gogoeta [Analysing adverbs: some thoughts to solve the issue of their category]». V. Ikergazte: ikertzaile euskaldunen bosgarren kongresua [Fifth congress of young Basque researchers] (UEU). Held at Kursaal Palace, Donostia-San Sebastian, May 17-19, 2023.
2022
Fernández-Altonaga, Cecilia. «Adjektiboak eta adberbioak elkarri gogorki loturik daude [Adjectives and adverbs are tightly bound together]». Talk at Euskal Filologiaren Adarrak V (Aziti Bihia Association & Monumenta Linguae Vasconum VI research group). Held at UPV/EHU, Vitoria-Gasteiz, May 18, 2022.
Posters
«Adjectives vs. Adverbs: revisiting the categorical distinction through the Basque suffix –ki». 6th Crete Summer School of Linguistics [Poster session]. 6th Crete Summer School of Linguistics, Rethymnon: 2024-07-14
Others
Teaching
2024-25. Undergraduate course Hizkuntzalaritza I [Linguistics 1]. Department of Linguistics and Basque Studies, UPV-EHU. 3 ECTS.
2023-24. Undergraduate course Hizkuntzalaritza I [Linguistics 1]. Department of Linguistics and Basque Studies, UPV-EHU. 6 ECTS.
Languages
Basque (first language), Spanish (first language), English (C2), French (C2)
Grants
- FPU competitive grant for stays abroad (Ayudas complementarias de movilidad) (2025)
- FPU PhD grant (Ayuda para la Formación del Profesorado Universitario) [FPU21/05860] (2022-2026)
- Institution: Ministry of Universities of the Spanish Government.
- Ikasiker Fellowship for Research (2020-21) [IkasC_2020_1_0039]
- Institution: Department of Education, Language Policy and Culture of the Basque Government
- Erasmus+ KA107 grant (2019-20)
- Institution: Servicio Español para la Internacionalización de la Educación (SEPIE).
Outreach
Cecilia Fernández-Altonaga: “Ba al dago zientzialaririk Letren Fakultatean?“. Ciencia Show project (Organizers: Big Van & EHUko Kultura Zientifikoko katedra), Bilbao (2026-01-13).
Cecilia Fernández-Altonaga: “Hizkuntza bat zaila izan daiteke?” (02-01-2024).