Brian Agbayani

Brian Agbayani is a Professor in the Department of Linguistics at California State University, Fresno. He holds a Ph.D. in Linguistics (1998), an M.A. (1996), and a B.A. (1993) from the University of California, Irvine.

His research focuses on comparative syntax, clausal architecture, movement phenomena, ellipsis, and the syntax-phonology interface across languages like Japanese, Latin, Greek, and Indigenous languages of the Americas. He also leads language documentation and revitalization efforts for endangered languages such as Chukchansi Yokuts, Hidatsa, and Wikchamni.

His recent 15 most recent articles span topics like multiple scrambling in Japanese, prosodic movement in Indo-European languages, and syntactic structures in Indigenous languages. He collaborates with scholars including Toru Ishii, Masao Ochi, and John Boyle on projects involving experimental linguistics, phonological theory, and language preservation.

Agbayani is actively involved in programs such as the Indigenous Languages Group (ILG) at Fresno State, the Chukchansi Language Program (with the Picayune Rancheria), and the Central California Ethnobotany Project. He has secured significant grants, including a $1,000,000 award from the Picayune Rancheria for Chukchansi revitalization.