Pilar Valenzuela

Dr. Pilar Valenzuela is a Professor in the Department of World Languages and Cultures at Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, Chapman University. Her work focuses on Panoan and Kawapanan languages of the Peruvian Amazon, including Shiwilu (Jebero) and Amahuaca, with expertise in linguistic typology, phonology, morphosyntax, and language revitalization.

• Education:
  • Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (BA in Hispanic Linguistics & Literature, Diploma in Anthropology)
  • University of Oregon (MA and PhD in Linguistics)

Research Highlights: She has published three books and numerous articles on synchronic and historical syntax, verb borrowing, and ethnobiological taxonomies. Her PhD dissertation on Shipibo-Konibo grammar won the Mary R. Haas Book Award.

Awards & Grants: Recipient of the Wang-Fradkin Professorship (2006-2008) and a National Science Foundation grant (DEL BCS-0853285) for documenting Kawapanan languages. In 2012, she received the Global Engagement Research Award from Chapman University.

Teaching: Offers courses in Spanish linguistics, advanced grammar, and documenting Shiwilu, a critically endangered language. Collaborates with Chapman undergraduate students on creating a trilingual (Shiwilu-Spanish-English) dictionary.

Publications: Recent work explores lexical tone in Amahuaca, temporal constructions, and body-part terminology in Pano-Takana languages.