Samuel Akinbo

Samuel Akinbo is an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto (St. George Campus). His research focuses on phonological theory, phonetics, and field linguistics, particularly in endangered African languages. He employs instrumental methods like ultrasound imaging and statistical models to analyze phonetic properties of understudied languages.

His primary research explores iconicity in phonological grammar—how form-meaning mappings influence linguistic structure through case studies like ideophones and talking drums. Secondary interests include sound-meaning connections in African verbal arts and music, such as Yorùbá talking drums and verbal interpretations of Super Mario music melodies.

Dr. Akinbo’s work emphasizes community-based documentation of endangered languages, creating openly accessible corpora to preserve linguistic diversity. His educational background includes a PhD from the University of British Columbia and a BA from the University of Ibadan.