Jeffrey Heath

Jeffrey Heath is a Professor of Linguistics at the University of Michigan, with a dry-line appointment in Near Eastern Studies. His research focuses on language documentation, historical linguistics, morphology, and the study of African languages. He has conducted extensive fieldwork in Mali, Morocco, Australia, and other regions, particularly on Dogon, Songhay, and Berber languages. Heath holds a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago (1976) and a B.A. from Harvard University (1971). His work includes over 20 books and numerous articles on linguistic typology, language contact, and morphological evolution. He has received significant grants from the National Science Foundation, Guggenheim Foundation, and Fulbright Program. His research emphasizes functional morphosyntax and the role of prosody in linguistic systems.

• Education: Ph.D. (University of Chicago, 1976), M.A. (1973), A.B. (Harvard, 1971)
• Affiliations: Department of Linguistics, Near Eastern Studies (UMich)
• Key Projects: Dogon Language Documentation Project, Tamashek (Tuareg) studies, Songhay grammar series

Heath’s research interests span morphology, tonosyntax, and the historical development of African languages. His fieldwork in Mali has produced detailed grammars of Dogon languages, while his work on Moroccan Arabic explores language contact and borrowing. He has also contributed to the documentation of Songhay and Gur languages in West Africa.

Grants and awards highlight his commitment to endangered language preservation, including NEH and NSF funding for Dogon and Songhay projects. His contributions to linguistic typology and historical morphology have influenced debates on morpheme renewal and syntactic change.