Robert D. HobermanView profile
Professor
Robert D. Hoberman is a Professor at Stony Brook University's Department of Linguistics, specializing in Semitic languages including Arabic, Hebrew, and Aramaic. His research focuses on morphology, phonology, and language documentation, particularly documenting endangered Aramaic dialects from Iraqi Kurdistan and Iran. He also examines Maltese and Yiddish, exploring structural changes in contact with Indo-European languages. His work bridges formal linguistic analysis, historical linguistics, and language revitalization. Education: Ph.D. 1983, University of Chicago Research Interests: Semitic linguistics, comparative Semitic studies, phonology/morphology interfaces, language contact phenomena, writing systems, and the documentation of endangered languages. He explores historical patterns through modern spoken varieties and has contributed to understanding pausal forms in Arabic, triradical morphology in Semitic languages, and Maltese's transition from Semitic to Romance structures. Key Contributions: Pioneered fieldwork-based analyses of Modern Aramaic dialects, advanced theoretical models for Semitic phonology/morphology, and critiqued the historical role of Western linguistics in non-Western language study. His publications span encyclopedic entries, edited volumes, and journal articles addressing both theoretical linguistics and descriptive grammar.












