Marianne Mithun

Marianne Mithun is a Professor in the Department of Linguistics at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), within the College of Letters and Science. Her expertise spans morphology, syntax, discourse, and prosody, with a focus on language contact, typology, and documentation of endangered languages. She has conducted extensive research on Indigenous languages of the Americas and Austronesian languages.

Education:

• Ph.D., Yale University (1974), Linguistics
• M.Phil and M.A., Yale University (1972)
• B.A., Pomona College (1969), Phi Beta Kappa in French

Research Interests: Dr. Mithun investigates how prosody, syntax, and discourse interrelate, and how language contact drives grammatical evolution. She has authored grammars and dictionaries for languages like Mohawk, Tuscarora, and Central Pomo. Her work emphasizes documenting endangered languages through community engagement.

Current Projects:

• Mohawk and Tuscarora grammar/dictionary compilation
• Analysis of Central Pomo texts and structures
• Study of prosody-syntax-discourse relationships

Teaching and Mentoring: She teaches advanced linguistics courses such as Field Methods, Historical Linguistics, and Seminars in Morphology/Syntax. Her courses emphasize hands-on fieldwork and theoretical analysis.