Ekaterina Chirkova

Ekaterina Chirkova is a Research Officer at the Centre for Linguistic Research on East Asia (CRLAO), a joint research unit of EHESS, CNRS, and INALCO, where she has been working since October 2006. She is affiliated with two research teams: Typology and diachrony of Sino-Tibetan languages in East Asia and Sino-Tibetan and its East Asian context.

Dr. Chirkova specializes in Sino-Tibetan linguistics with particular focus on Tibeto-Burman languages spoken in South-West China. Her research encompasses linguistic typology, areal linguistics, and language contact phenomena. She conducts detailed synchronic and diachronic analyses of languages including Tibetan varieties (such as Baima) and Qiangic languages (including Shixing, Lizu, and Duoxu). Additionally, she investigates the semantics and syntax of Beijing Mandarin, contributing to our understanding of both minority languages and dominant language varieties in China.

Her extensive publication record demonstrates a strong commitment to documenting endangered languages of the Sino-Tibetan family. Through grammatical descriptions, phonological analyses, and investigations of language relationships, she has significantly contributed to the field of Tibeto-Burman linguistics. Her work often involves collaborative research with Chinese scholars and community members, reflecting a commitment to both academic rigor and practical language documentation.

• Member of Research Team I: Typology and diachrony of Sino-Tibetan languages in East Asia
• Member of Research Team III: Sino-Tibetan and its East Asian context