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 (2023). Adberbioak aztergai: kategoriaren auzia argitzeko zenbait gogoeta. Arbelaitz, Olatz, Ainhoa Latatu & Elixabete Pérez Gaztelu (ed.). V. Ikergazte. Nazioarteko Ikerketa Euskaraz. Kongresuko artikulu bilduma. Giza zientziak eta Artea 1: 59-66.
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 (2021). 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. Anne Zribi-Hertz & Elena Soare (ed.). CNRS- Université Paris 8.

Talks

Fernández-Altonaga, Cecilia (2026). Two copulas and a definite determiner: copular predication in Basque. [Poster] The Syntax of Nominal Copular Clauses (SyNCC) . September 23-24, Universität Bielefeld, Bielefeld (Germany).
Fernández-Altonaga, Cecilia, Jürgen Etxeberria & Ane Berro (2026). Lexical plurals across categories in Basque. Plurality and Distributivity across lexical categories workshop, on the conference Sinn und Bedeutung 31. September 1, Université de Nantes, Nantes (Frantzia).
Fernández-Altonaga, Cecilia (2026). Markers of predication in Basque and beyond. [Poster] Conference of the Student Organisation of Linguistics in Europe (ConSOLE) 34. January 28-30, Pavia (Italy).
Fernández-Altonaga, Cecilia (2025). Ez da irakaslea baina irakasle dago: zer egiten du determinatzaileak predikazioan?. Azken Berriak Euskal Gramatikan. 18th of December, University of the Basque Country (EHU), Vitoria-Gasteiz.
Fernández-Altonaga, Cecilia (2025). Modifiers are not (always) predicates. 2nd International Workshop on the Syntax of Predication and Modification. September 1-2, Hungarian Research Center for Linguistics, Budapest (Hungary).
Fernández-Altonaga, Cecilia (2025). A new look into predication and modification from Basque. Morphosyn, Seminar on Morphology and Syntax. 2nd May, Linguistics department, University of Chicago, Chicago (USA).
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 (2024). Adjectives vs. Adverbs: revisiting the categorical distinction through the Basque suffix –ki. Crete 6th Summer School of Linguistics [Poster session]. July 14, Rethymno, Crete (Greece).
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 (2023). Adberbioak aztergai: kategoriaren auzia argitzeko zenbait gogoeta [Adverbs into question: some thoughts to clarify the categoriality issue]. V. Ikergazte: ikertzaile euskaldunen bosgarren kongresua (UEU). May 17-19, Kursaal conference center, Donostia.
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). February 6, University of the Basque Country (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). November 18, University of the Basque Country (EHU), Vitoria-Gasteiz.
Fernández-Altonaga, Cecilia (2022). Adjektiboak eta adberbioak elkarri gogorki loturik daude [Adjectives and adverbs are tightly bound together]. Euskal Filologiaren Adarrak V (Aziti Bihia Association & Monumenta Linguae Vasconum VI research group). May 18, University of the Basque Country (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

2025

XXXIX. Congreso Internacional de la Asociación de Jóvenes Lingüistas (AJL) / Hizkuntzalari Gazteen Elkartearen XXXIX. Nazioarteko Kongresua, University of the Basque Country (EHU), Vitoria-Gasteiz. 1-3 October, 2025

2024

Workshop Formal Approaches to Minority Languages (05/06) and conference Rencontres autour de la linguistique formelle (06-07/06, RALFE 2024), IKER UMR5478, Bayonne. 5-7 June, 2024.

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: “Euskara beste hizkuntzak baino zailagoa da?” [Is Basque more difficult than other languages?], Zientzialarik 10 urte (special live show). Interview at Zientzialari radio show (#141). Bilbo Hiria radio eta Zenbat Gara (2026-03-11).

Cecilia Fernández-Altonaga: Zer da gramatika bat? Article in Zientzia Kaiera. EHU Chair for Scientific Dissemination (2026-01-28)

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?”. Talk at Jakinduriek mundue erreko dau. EHU Chair for Scientific Dissemination, San Agustin Kulturgunea. Azpeitia (2026-10-26).

Cecilia Fernández-Altonaga: “Hizkuntza bat zaila izan daiteke?”. Talk at Bertsozientzia. EHU Scientific Dissemination Chair, Bidebarrieta library, Bilbao (2024-12-04).

Cecilia Fernández-Altonaga: “Hizkuntza bat zaila izan daiteke?” Article in Zientzia Kaiera. EHU Chair for Scientific Dissemination (02-01-2024).