Michael Opper

Michael Opper is joining the College of International Studies at Southwest University (Chongqing, China) as a Foreign Expert, with a position convertible to tenure-track. He will develop a Master of Arts program in phonology and teach courses in phonology and phonetics. Previously, he completed his PhD at the University of Michigan, where he defended his dissertation on “Phonological Contrast in Bai” in December 2016. His research focuses on phonology, phonetics, and the intersection of language with ethnicity and geography.

Recent invited lectures include discussions on linguistic boundaries mapping, language and ethnicity in Yunnan, and phonological contrast representation. He maintains ties to the University of Michigan’s Linguistics Department, where he was affiliated during his doctoral studies.