Joshua Birchall

My research is focused on the documentation, description and comparison of the indigenous languages of South America. I investigate the typology and diachrony of grammatical relations and other argument marking phenomena. I am currently developing multimedia dictionaries and a cultural encyclopedia with communities that speak endangered languages in southwestern Amazonia. My other ongoing research involves historical linguistics, such as phylogenetic methods, the comparative reconstruction of grammar and lexicon, and the development of lexical databases

Christian Koops

My primary research area is variationist sociolinguistics, specifically sociophonetics. I am especially interested in language and dialect contact phenomena, such as the segmental and suprasegmental features of Spanish-influenced varieties of English as well as other ethnic varieties of North American English. I am also conducting research on contact varieties of Spanish in the Americas, including New Mexican and Peruvian Spanish. In my work on Oklahoma Cherokee, I am applying phonetic methods to language revitalization in the context of the complex tone phonology of Cherokee.

Rosa Vallejos-Yopán

My research focuses on Amazonia. I pursue research in three areas of linguistics: documentary fieldwork, morphosyntax, and language contact. My fieldwork has generated a rich stream of documentation on unrelated and typological distant languages: Kukama-Kukamiria (Tupían), Secoya (Tukanoan), and Amazonian Spanish. Research on little-known languages and varieties of Spanish informs debates concerning the range of variation possible in languages, which ultimately allows the development of cross-linguistically valid theories of human language.

Molly Rae Boone

My work focuses on lexicography in Secoya. I am aiding Dr. Vallejos in the development of a lexical database that will serve as a critical first step toward building a Secoya-Spanish-English dictionary, which can in turn contribute to the Secoya language having a longer lifespan.

Lee Ferrin

I assist Dr. Birchall with the RURAL Project, which provides linguistic tools, resources, and training to rural NM communities doing their own language work and documentation. My other interests include child language acquisition, documentation of child language and child-directed communication, and language policy.

Toby Fowler

I'm a 2nd-year PhD student, originally from Boulder, Colorado, and completed my undergraduate degree at the University of California, Santa Barbara. My interests are primarily focused on morphology & the languages of North America, especially the Pacific Northwest & California.

Ivette González

I investigate the grammar of Pa Ipai, a critically endangered Yuman language spoken in Santa Catarina, Baja California, Mexico. My research contributes to the broader understanding of Yuman languages within North American linguistic diversity.

Frances Jones

My research interests include language contact, language variation, and language documentation. My primary focus is on language use in New Mexico.

Bethany Lycan

I work with Dr. Birchall on the RURAL project and lexicography in Chapacuran languages. My research interests include usage-based syntax, typology, and language revitalization. My current research focuses on verbal semantics and argument marking in languages with split intransitivity.

Alyssa-Marie Sanchez

My research interests involve the languages of the Philippines, particularly Bikol, a language of the Central Philippines. I am interested in morphosyntax, voice, and alignment, as well as the typological similarities and differences languages have within these areas.

Akasha Synclair

My research focuses on language documentation for community-directed language reclamation and revitalization efforts. I'm currently completing a thesis describing the dormant Amazonian language Torá from archival materials.

William Pacheco

I am a member of Kewa Pueblo and a first-language speaker of Kewa Keres. I taught Kewa Keres at Santa Fe Indian School, earned an M.Ed. from Harvard, and completed an M.S. in Linguistics at MIT's Indigenous Language Initiative. My research focuses on Indigenous-led documentation of Keres phonetics, phonology, and morphosyntax, and open, locally-run digital tools for language teaching and vitality.

Nick Underwood

I assist Dr. Vallejos in several projects, including demostrative use, language change, and motion events among Secoya-Spanish bilinguals. I want to pursue a career in Navajo linguistics and other indigenous languages.