Manuel Otero

Manuel Otero is an Associate Professor in the Department of English at Eastern Connecticut State University. He specializes in historical linguistics and the documentation of endangered languages, particularly focusing on languages spoken by marginalized communities in western Ethiopia and Sudanese refugees in the U.S.

Dr. Otero earned his PhD in Linguistics from the University of Oregon. His research emphasizes the phonology, morphology, and syntax of Ethiopian Komo, with a focus on vowel harmony systems, directional verb morphology, and historical reconstruction of the Koman language family. He also explores typological aspects of Chacoan languages like Nivaĉle and Pilagá.

His publications span acoustic phonetics, morphosyntactic analysis, and language documentation. Recent work includes studies on associated motion, deictic direction, and exchoative aspect in Koman languages. His teaching focuses on introductory linguistics and writing courses, aiming to highlight the beauty and complexity of human language.

Research grants and lab affiliations are not explicitly mentioned, but his work directly engages with community-based language preservation efforts. He advises no listed students but actively contributes to endangered language documentation through fieldwork and academic collaborations.