Fiona McLaughlin

Fiona McLaughlin is a Professor of Linguistics & African Languages at the University of Florida’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, holding joint appointments in the Departments of Linguistics and Languages, Literatures, and Cultures. She specializes in sociolinguistics of urban Africa, multilingualism, and Atlantic languages’ phonology. Her research focuses on trans-Saharan literacies, including Ajami and Tifinagh scripts, challenging colonial-era narratives about the Sahara as a cultural divide.

Her academic journey includes a PhD in Linguistics from the University of Texas at Austin, MA in French from the George Washington University, and BA in English from Louisiana State University. She has conducted extensive fieldwork in Senegal, Niger, and Algeria, supported by grants from the NEH, NSF, and Fulbright programs.

McLaughlin’s work bridges formal linguistic analysis with sociocultural inquiry, examining how language contact, urbanization, and Islamization shape linguistic practices. Recent projects include studying vernacular literacies across the Sahara and analyzing Dakar’s linguistic landscape. She also contributes to global scholarship through edited volumes on African linguistics and serves as a research affiliate with the Sahel Research Group.