Peter Jenks

Peter Jenks is an Associate Professor in the Department of Linguistics at the University of California, Berkeley. He holds a Ph.D. in Linguistics from Harvard University, an M.A. from UC San Diego, and an A.B. from Dartmouth College. His research bridges syntax, semantics, and phonology, with specialization in East/Southeast Asian and African languages, particularly Thai and Moro.

Research focuses on crosslinguistic variation in noun phrases, definiteness, quantification, and phonological domains. Recent work examines syntax-phonology interactions and indexed definiteness in understudied languages.

Publications demonstrate consistent focus on interface phenomena, with recent articles exploring hyperraising in Moro (2025), definiteness in Guébie (2024), and syntactic quantification. His 55+ publications show strong emphasis on empirical fieldwork and theoretical innovation.

• UC Berkeley Distinguished Teacher Award (2023)
• Certificate of Distinction in Teaching, Harvard University (2008-2010)
• Outstanding Graduate in Linguistics, Dartmouth College (2004)

Advises 16+ graduate students and serves on dissertation committees. Secured NSF and Hellman Faculty Fellowships. Co-directs the Moro Story Corpus project and co-authored a Moro grammar with Language Sciences Press.