معرفی
Richard J. Senghas is a Professor of Anthropology at Sonoma State University. His work bridges linguistic anthropology and Deaf studies, focusing on the evolution of Nicaraguan Sign Language (ISN) and sociocultural dynamics in intentional communities.
- Education
- BA, University of Massachusetts (Amherst), 1978
- MA, University of Rochester, 1994
- PhD, University of Rochester, 1997
His research examines how language emergence intersects with identity formation, community development, and political factors. He has published extensively on ISN’s development, sociolinguistic variation in sign languages, and cybernetic models of language change.
Key publications include works in The Routledge Handbook of Linguistic Anthropology (2017), Annual Review of Anthropology (2002), and edited volumes on Deaf communities. His 2017 chapter explores communicative practices in sign languages, while older works analyze ISN’s birth and sociolinguistic diversity in ASL.
- Scientific Awards
- Edward Sapir Book Prize, Society for Linguistic Anthropology (2001)
As a California State University Academic Senate representative, he advocates for academic governance. Collaboratively, he works with his sister Ann Senghas (Barnard College) and other scholars like Judy Pyers and Lorraine Monaghan.
