November, 2023
Akinbiyi M. Akinlabi
Officier de l'Ordre du Mérite Ivoirien
Fellow, Nigerian Academy of Letters
Current Position Professor of Linguistics, Rutgers University.
Education
Ph.D. Linguistics, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria (April, 1985)
M.A. Linguistics, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria (1981)
B.A. Linguistics, with First Class Honors, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria (1979)
Other Professional Training
1982-1983 University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Research Scholar/Exchange Graduate Student
Summer 1983 LSA Summer Institute of Linguistics
University of California, Los Angeles
09/2015 – 06/2016 Fulbright Professor, Universite Felix Houphouet-Boigny, Cocody, Ivory Coast.
May 6, 2014 “Officier de l'Ordre de Mérite Ivoirien” (Officer of the Ivorian Order of Merit) Ivorian
National Medal, awarded at a formal ceremony in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, on May 5, 2014.
Nov. 2006 Linguistics Association of Nigeria Silver Jubillee Award. Cited for “love and support for the development of Nigerian languages”.
April 2005 ACAL Award of Distinction: cited for "years of outstanding support" and "invaluable contribution to African linguistics."
Fellowships and Scholarships
(For the 1983 Linguistic Institute)
1980-1983 University of Ibadan, Postgraduate Scholarship
1980-1981 Federal Government of Nigeria, Postgraduate Scholarship
Research Interests
Phonological Theory, Phonetics and Phonology of Tone and Intonation, Prosodic Phonology and Morphology, West African languages and Linguistics.
Grants and Research Support
March 2022- Feb. 2023 National Science Foundation (BCS 2141420) for “Cross-disciplinary Workshop on Information Structure in African Languages” (With Sharon Rose). ($61,775).
Aug. 2015 CODESRIA African Diaspora Support to African Universities Grant, for
the 4th African Linguistics School, Abidjan, July 2016. $30,000
July 2013 Carnegie Corporation of New York: Support for Graduate Education in
Africa: The African Linguistics School. $19,700
March 2007 - Feb. 2013. National Science Foundation: “Documenting Defaka [afn] and
Nkoroo [nkx]" $305,476. (With Bruce Connell). Additional supplemental budget of $18,114 approved June 2, 2008.
2003 National Science Foundation grant (BNS 0236519) for “World Congress of African Linguistics” (With Mark Baker). ($29,130).
2000-2001 SROA grant for “Rotating position in African Languages and Linguistics”. (Joint proposal with Center for African Studies. (With Mark Baker)) ($45,000)
1995-1996 Minority Faculty Development Grant, Rutgers University; for
‘Yoruba Phonology: Part I’. ($2,500).
1993-1994 Teaching Excellence Center Grant, Rutgers University; for ‘Redesigning Introduction to the Study of Language’. (with V. Srivastav). ($3,000).
1993-1994 Minority Faculty Development Grant, Rutgers University; for
‘Prosodic Structure in West African Tone Languages’. ($3,100).
1991-1993 National Science Foundation, Grant No.: BNS 90-21274 for
‘Intonation in Tone Languages, A comparative study of Mandarin, Cantonese, and Yoruba’. (with Chi-lin Shih). ($11,185).
1992-1993 Minority Faculty Development Grant, Rutgers University; for
‘Foot Structure in Lower Cross Languages.’ ($5,674).
1990-1992 Henry Rutgers Research Fellowship ($10,000)
Professional Positions
2009 – Date Professor of Linguistics, Rutgers-The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ.
July 2009, 2011, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2022 Professor, African Linguistics School, Legon,
GHANA; Porto-Novo, BENIN; Ibadan, NIGERIA; and Yamoussoukro, Cote d’Ivoire.
1996-2009 Associate Professor in the Department of Linguistics, Rutgers-The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ.
1997-98 Research Associate, Department of Linguistics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA.
1990-1996 Assistant Professor in the Department of Linguistics, Rutgers-The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ.
1989-1990 Visiting Lecturer in the Department of Linguistics, Rutgers- The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ.
1988-1989 Lecturer I in the Department of Linguistics and African Languages, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria
1985-1988 Lecturer II in the Department of Linguistics and African Languages, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria
1985-1987 Part-time Lecturer Department of Nigerian Languages & Literature, Ogun State University, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, Nigeria
1984-1985 Assistant Lecturer in the Department of Linguistics and
Nigerian Languages, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria
1980-1982 Teaching Assistant in the Department of Linguistics and
Nigerian Languages, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.
Other Professional Position/Affiliation
1998 - date Member, African Studies Center, Rutgers University,
1996 - date Member, African Language Resource Council, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.
Summer 1987 Research Associate on Stanford University's project on the
Phonetics and Phonology of Intonation in Hausa, Stanford
University, Stanford, California.
• National Science Foundation Panelist; Panel DLI-DEL P220657. Dec. 2021.
• Co-Founder, AFRICAN LINGUISTICS SCHOOL, 2009-
• Organizer and Host, 3rd African Linguistics School, University of Ibadan, Nigeria, July 2013.
• National Science Foundation Panelist: “Documenting Endangered Languages” Panel 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2013.
• Council member, West African Linguistics Society. Member of the Standing Committee of the World Congress of African Linguistics. Member of the Steering Committee of the Annual Conference on African Linguistics. (All current.)
• Organized the 4th World Congress of African Linguistics in June, 2003.
• Swiss Federal Office for Migration: Expert on Nigerian Languages. Jan. 2005 – Date.
• External examiner for Ph.D. dissertations in several countries.
Editorial Boards: Advisory Editorial Board, Yoruba Studies Review, July 2015-
Associate Editor, Journal of West African Languages, 2016-
Journal of African Languages and Linguistics, 1996-
Associate Editor, Studies in African Linguistics, 1992-1997
Assistant Editor, Journal of Languages, Ogun State College of Education, Ijebu-ode, Nigeria, 1985 to 1989.
Occasional Reviewer for:
Journals:
Phonology
Language
Natural Language and Linguistic Theory
Journal of Linguistics
Journal of Phonetics
Studies in African Linguistics
Journal of African Languages and Linguistics
Anthropological Linguistics
Journal of Nigerian Languages
Journal of West African Languages
Publishers:
Indiana University Press
Cambridge University Press. (Papers in Laboratory Phonology series.)
Africa World Press, Lawrenceville, NJ. (Trends in African Linguistics series.)
Onibon-oje Press, Ibadan, Nigeria
Grant Agencies:
National Science Foundation.
National Endowment for the Humanities.
Conferences:
North-East Linguistics Society Conference (NELS).
West Coast Conference on Formal Linguistics (WCCFL)
University of Pennsylvania Annual Linguistics Colloquium.
Annual Conference on African Linguistics.
Publications
Books
Akinlabi, A. and S. Rose (eds.) (to appear) Information Structure in African Languages.
To appear in the Contemporary African Linguistics series by Language Science Press (LSP).
Akinlabi, A. (to appear) Yoruba: A phonological grammar. The W.E. B. Du Bois Series
of African Language Grammars. Series editor: John Mugane. Center for African Studies, Harvard University.
Adesola, O., A. Akinlabi, O. Orie (eds.) (2018) “Data-Rich Linguistics: Studies in honor
of Yiwola Awoyale,” Cambridge Scholars Publishing. Newcastle upon Tyne.
Akinlabi, A. and O. Adesola (2004) (editors) Proceedings of the 4th World Congress of
African Linguistics, New Brunswick 2003. Rüdiger Köppe Verlag. 575 pages.
Akinlabi, A (1995) (editor) Theoretical Approaches to African Linguistics. Africa World Press. 420pp.
Akinlabi, A., B. Connell, W. Bennett (in prep) A Grammar of Defaka [working title].
A Descriptive grammar of the Defaka language; manuscript in preparation.
Articles
Akinlabi, A. (to appear). Cross Consonantal Vowel Assimilation in Yoruba: a review.
A Festschrift for Professor Eno Abasi Urua.
Akinlabi, A. (2022). “Liquid Adaptation in Yoruba loans,” in Akangbe, A. (ed.) A
Festschrift for Professor P.A. Ogundeji.
Akinlabi, A., F. Ahoua, and B. Gondo (2021). On Five-Level Tone Contrasts: the case
of Dan-Gblewo. Stellenbotsh Papers in Linguistics Plus 62.
Connell, B. and A. Akinlabi. (2019a). African Linguistics in Anglophone West
Africa. In E. Wolff (Ed.) Cambridge Handbook of African Linguistics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Pp. 86-97.
Connell, B. and A. Akinlabi. (2019b). “African linguistics in Officially Anglophone
West Africa-speaking”, in W. Ekkehardt Wolff (ed.) A History of African Linguistics. Cambridge University Press. Pp. 153-177.
Akinlabi, A. and G. Iloene (2019c) “From High Vowels to Syllabic Nasals: Evidence
from Yoruba and Igbo (Ezeagwu),” in Orie, Olanike Ola, Akintunde Oyetade,and Laide Sheba (eds.) African and Its Diaspora. Languages, Literature and Culture. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. Pp. 35-60.
Connell, B., A. Akinlabi, Wm. Bennett (2013/2018) Documentation of Nkoroo [nkx].
https://elar.soas.ac.uk/Collection/MPI1204050 Endangered Language Archive,
School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.
Akinlabi, A. 2017. “High Vowel Alternations in Yoruba,” in Firmin Ahoua & Benjamin Ohi Elugbe (eds.), Language Typology and Language Documentation in West Africa. Proceedings of the 27th WALC, Abidjan. Paris: L’Harmattan, pp. 39-60.
Akinlabi, A. and O. Adesola. 2017. “Unaccusative Constructions in Yoruba,” in Shigeki
Kaji (ed.) Proceedings of the 8th World Congress of African Linguistics Kyoto 2015,
Research Institute for Languages and Literatures of Asia and Africa (ILCAA), pp. 77-90.
Akinlabi, A. and O. Adesola. (2017). “Possessive Unaccusatives in Yoruba,” in Adesola, O., A. Akinlabi, O. Orie (eds.) “Data-Rich Linguistics: Studies in honor of Yiwola Awoyale,” Cambridge Scholars Publishing. Newcastle upon Tyne.
Akinlabi, A. and H. Adeniyi. 2017. “The Yoruba Language and its Dialects,” in Culture and Customs of the Yoruba. Toyin Falola and Akintunde Akinyemi (eds.) Austin: Pan-African University Press. Pp. 31-44.
Akinlabi, A. 2016. (Yoruba) “Morphology”, “Phonology”, “Syntax”. Entries in
Falola, Toyin and Akintunde Akinyemi (eds.) Encylopedia of the YORUBA. Indiana University Press.
Obikudo, Ebitare, Bruce Connell, Inoma Essien, Akin Akinlabi, Ozo-mekuri Ndimele, and Will Bennett. 2015. The Sociolinguistic setting of the Defaka and Nkọrọọ people. Journal of the Linguistic Association of Nigeria 12.1:135-141.
Bennett, William, Akinbiyi Akinlabi, Bruce Connell (2012) “Two subject asymmetries in Defaka focus constructions”. Proceedings of the 29th West Coast Conference on Formal Linguistics (WCCFL 29), ed. Jaehoon Choi et al., Somerville, MA: Cascadilla Proceedings Project. Pp. 294-302.
Connell, B., Wm. Bennett, I. Essien, E. Obikudo, A. Akinlabi, O-m. Ndimele. (2012b) “Defaka and Ijo: A reassessment of the Ijoid relationship.” Proceedings of the 6th World Congress of African Linguistics, Cologne, August 2009, Brenzinger, M and A.-M fehn (eds). Cologne, Koppe, pp. 145-153.
Akinlabi, A. and O-M. Ndimele (2012). "Agbirigba: The birth of an Igboid Lect", in Ozo-Mekuri Nidimele (ed.) Language, Literature & Communication in a Dynamic World: A Festschrift for Chinyere Ohiri-Aniche. Port Harcourt, Nigeria: M & J Grand Orbit Communications Ltd. & Emhai Press.
Bennett, William, Akinbiyi Akinlabi, Bruce Connell & Inoma Essien (forthcoming) “The Phonological Representation of Nasality in Defaka: evidence from compounding”. To appear in Christopher R. Green and Jonathan C. Anderson (eds.). Compounding in African languages: West to Northeast.
Akinlabi, A. (2011) “Featural Affixes,” invited chapter to appear in Marc van Oostendorp (ed.) Companion to Phonology. Wiley-Blackwell (2011).
Akinlabi, A. and O-M. Ndimele (2010). "Agbirigba: The birth of an Igboid Language", to appear in Harrison Adeniyi (ed.) "A festschrift for Professor Ben Elugbe".
Akinlabi, A (2009). “Neutral Vowels in Lokaa Harmony,” Canadian Journal of Linguistics 54(2) Pp. 197-228.
Akinlabi, A., B. Connell and E. Obikudo (2009). “The tone structure of Nkoroo nominal constructions”, in Language Development Beyond Borders: A Festschrift in honor of Prof. Dr. Dafydd Gibbon. Ed. by Eno-Abasi Urua, Moses Ekpenyong and Firmin Ahoua. Ensel Publishers, Uyo. Pp. 447-466.
Akinlabi, A. and B. Connell (2008) “The Interaction of Linguistic Theory, Linguistic Description and Linguistic Documentation.” Invited Keynote address. In O.-M. Ndimele, I. I. L. Udoh & O. Anyanwu (eds.) Critical Issues in the study of Linguistics, Languages & Literatures in Nigeria: A festschrift for Conrad Max Benedict Brann. Port Harcourt, Nigeria: M & J Grand Orbit Communications Ltd. & Emhai Press. Pp. 571-589.
Njwe, E., B. Elugbe and A. Akinlabi (2007) “Tonal Changes in Associative Constructions in Ngwo,” revised version to appear in Studies in African Linguistics.
Akinlabi, A. and S. Lee (2007) “Predicting Ibibio vowel distribution,” Journal of West
African Languages. XXXIII/2 Pp. 43-60.
Akinlabi, A. and M. Liberman (2006) “Tonal Complexes and a Lokaa Conspiracy.” Globalization and the Future of African Languages, ed. by Francis Egbokhare and Clement Kolawole. Ibadan Cultural Studies Group. Pp. 444 – 463.
Akinlabi, A. (2006) “Neutral Vowels in Lokaa Harmony,” in Wondering a the Natural Fecundity of Things: Essays in honor of Alan Prince, edited by E. Bakovic, J. Ito and J. McCarthy, Booksurge.
Akinlabi, A (2004a) “Fixed Segmentism in Yoruba Deverbal Nouns,” Forms and Functions of English and Indigenous Languages in Nigeria: A festschrift in Honour of Ayo Banjo, ed. by Kola Owolabi and Ademola Dasylva. Group Publishers, Ibadan. Pp. 273-295.
Akinlabi, A. (2004b) “The Yoruba Sound System,” Understanding Yoruba Life and Culture, ed. by Lawal, Nike, Sadiku, M. and Dopamu, A. Africa World Press. Pp. 453-468.
Akinlabi, A. and A. Iwara (2004) “Transparency and Opacity in Lokaa Vowel Harmony”, in Akinlabi, A. and O. Adesola (eds.) Proceedings of the 4th World Congress of African Linguistics, New Brunswick 2003. Rüdiger Köppe Verlag. Pp. 81-96.
Akinlabi, Akinbiyi (2003) “Sonorant Nasalization in Yoruba Deverbal Nouns”, Actes du 3e Congrès Mondial de Linguistique Africaine, Lome 2000. Ed. by Kezie K. Lebikaza. Ruediger Koeppe Verlag, Cologne, pp. 3-19.
Akinlabi, A. and E. Urua (2003) “Foot Structure in the Ibibio Verb” Journal of African Languages and Linguistics, 24/2, pp. 119-160.
Iwara, Alex; Akinbiyi Akinlabi; and Hubert Truckenbrodt (2003) “The tonal phonology and phonetics of the future negative in Lokaa,” Linguistic Typology and Representation of African Languages, ed, by John Mugane. Africa World Press. Pp. 103-115.
Akinlabi, A. (2001) “Yoruba,” Facts About the World’s Languages: An Encyclopedia of the World’s Major Languages, ed. by Jane Garry and Carl Rubino. New England Publishing Associates. Pp. 836-841.
Akinlabi, A. and M. Liberman (2001) “Tonal Complexes and Tonal Alignment”, in Minjoo Kim and Uri Strauss (eds) Proceedings of the North East Linguistic Society 31, 1-20. Amherst, Mass: GLSA.
Akinlabi, Akinbiyi & Ngessimo Mutaka (2001) “Tone in the infinitive in Kinande: an OT analysis” in Ngessimo Mutaka & Beban S. Chumbow (eds). Research Mate in African Linguistics: Focus on Cameroon. A fieldworker’s tool for deciphering the stories Cameroonian languages have to tell. In honor of Professor Larry M. Hyman. Köln: Rüdiger Köppe Verlag, pp. 333-356.
Akinlabi, A. and M. Liberman (2000) “The Tonal Phonology of Yoruba Clitics,” B. Gerlach and J. Grijzenhout (eds.) Clitics in phonology, morphology and syntax. Amsterdam: Benjamins. Pp. 31 – 62.
Akinlabi, A. and E. Urua (2000) “Tone in Ibibio verbal reduplication,” in Wolff, H.E. & O.D. Gensler (eds.) Proceedings of the 2nd World Congress of African Linguistics. Koln: Rudiger Koppe Verlag, pp. 279-291.
Akinlabi, A. (1997) “Kalabari Vowel Harmony,” The Linguistic Review, 14/2, pp. 97-138.
Urua, E. and A. Akinlabi (1996) “A Prosodic Account of Reduplication in Ibibio,” Nigerian Language Studies 4: 1-15.
Akinlabi, A. (1996) “Featural Affixation,” Journal of Linguistics, 32/2, pp. 239-289.
Akinlabi, A. and M. Liberman (1995a) “On the Phonetic Interpretation of the Yoruba Tonal System,” Proceedings of the International Congress of Phonetic Sciences 1995, Stockholm, Sweden. pp. 42-45.
Akinlabi, A. (1995b) “Featural Affixation,” in Akinlabi, A. (ed.) Theoretical Approaches to African Linguistics. Africa World Press, Lawrenceville, NJ. pp. 217-237.
Akinlabi, A. (1995c) “Prosodic Truncation and Template Satisfaction in Ibibio Verbs,” in Kola Owolabi, ed., Language in Nigeria: A Festschrift for Ayo Bamgbose. Group Publishers, Ibadan. pp. 75-90.
Akinlabi, A. (1995d) “ATR Harmony in Kalab`ari` Ijo`,” in E. N. Emenanjo and O-M.
Ndimele (eds.) Issues in African Languages and Linguistics: Essays in honour of Kay Williamson. National Institute for Nigerian Languages. pp. 70-81.
Akinlabi, A. (1994a) “Alignment Constraints in ATR Harmony,” Studies in the Linguistic Sciences, 24/2. 1-18.
Akinlabi, A. (1994b) Review of Tone in Five Languages of Cameroon, ed. by S. C. Anderson, Lingua 93/1, 106-109.
Akinlabi, A. (1993) "Underspecification and the phonology of Yoruba /r/," Linguistic Inquiry 24/1, 139-160.
Akinlabi, A. and E. Urua (1993) “Prosodic Target and Vocalic Specification in Ibibio Verbs,” in Jonathan Mead (ed.) Proceedings of The Eleventh West Coast Conference on Formal Linguistics, pp. 1-14.
Akinlabi, A. (1992) "A two-tone analysis of Yoruba," Research in Yoruba Language and Literature 2, 59-76.
Akinlabi, A. (1991a) “Supraglottal Deletion in Yoruba Glides,” in Dawn Bates, ed., Proceedings of The Tenth West Coast Conference on Formal Linguistics, CSLI, Stanford, 13 - 26.
Akinlabi, A. (1991b) "Tiori fonoloji ati ohun Yoruba," in Sola Adebajo ed., Seminar Ni Iranti J.S.A. Odujinrin, Odujinrin Publishing Company, Lagos, 81- 99.
Pulleyblank, D. and A. Akinlabi (1988), "Phrasal morphology in Yoruba," Lingua 74, 141-166.
Akinlabi, A. and F. Oyebade (1987) "Lexical and postlexical rule application: Vowel deletion in Yoruba,” Journal of West African Languages, XVII, 2, 23-42.
Akinlabi, A. (1985) "Reciprocal verbs, comitation and the Yoruba phrasal conjunction,” in S.O. Asein (ed.) Language and Polity. Review of English and Literary Studies 2/2, 301-317.
Akinlabi, A. (1983) "Breathy voiced consonants in Ibilo," Penn Review of Linguistics 7, 59-64.
Akinlabi, A. and H. McManus. 2016. “Category Change in Segmental Alternations,”
Akinlabi, A. (1993) “The Phonetic Realization of the Yoruba Mid Tone”
Akinlabi, A. (1989) "Alaye ranpe lori ohun isale alefoo," 14pp.
Invited Talks
Lagos Studies Association. Invited participant on the roundtable on Kolera Kolej at LSA 2023. June 20-24, 2023.
“The Phonology and Grammar of Tone Spreading in Dan,” CUNY Graduate Center, New York. April 2020 (with Gildas Gondo, Tadjou N’dine Mamadou Yacoubou, and Hazel Mitchley).
“The Phonology and Grammar of Tone Spreading in Dan,” Invited talk. Reiksuniversitiet Leiden. November 6, 2019 (with Gildas Gondo, Tadjou N’dine Mamadou Yacoubou, and Hazel Mitchley).
“From Documentation to Theory: what Nkoroo [NKX] and Defaka [AFN] teach us about tonal analysis,” Invited talk, Mini Symposium on Language Documentation, Description, and Archiving, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL. April 13, 2017.
“When a five-way opposition does not represent a five-tone language: the case of Dan” Invited Plenary address at the 47th Annual Conference on African Linguistics, UC Berkeley, CA. March 23 – 26, 2016. (with Firmin Ahoua).
“Kalabari Vowel Harmony and Surface Correspondence Theory,” Texas A&M University, Commerce, TX. March 12, 2015. (With Luca Iacoponi)
“High Vowel Alternations in Igbo (Olo Ezeagu) and Yoruba,” Plenary paper, 1st Linguistics and African languages International Conference, Kwara State University, Malete, Nigeria. March 20-22, 2014.
“Noncompositional Tones in Nkoroo and Defaka”. Plenary paper, 50th Anniversary of the West African Languages Society, University of Ibadan, Nigeria. July 29 – Aug 2, 2013. (With Bruce Connell, Will Bennett and Inoma Essien)
“High Vowel Alternations in Yoruba and (Olo) Igbo,” Plenary paper, 27th West African Languages Congress, Abidjan, August 14-20, 2011.
“Defaka [afn] and Nkoroo [nkx]: Two Endangered Nigerian Languages”. Invited talk presented at the 2011 Mother Language Day, CCSU. February 2011. (With B. Connell, W. Bennett, I. Essien, E. Obikudo, and O-M. Ndimele.)
“Variation in the Acoustic Structure of Defaka Vowels.” CUNY Phonology Forum: The Phonology of Endangered Languages; CUNY, New York, Jan 2011. (With Connell, Bruce and W. Bennett.)
“Documenting Phonetics and Phonology.” Invited Plenary: 26th West African Languages Congress, Winneba, Ghana. Monday July 28, 2008. (With Bruce Connell)
“From Rules to Constraints: Describing African Language Phonological Structures” Plenary, 26th West African Languages Congress, Ghana. July 27-Aug. 3 2008.
“Documentation of African Language Grammars: Yoruba,” Roundtable plenary, 39th ACAL, University of Georgia, Athens. April 17 – 20, 2008.
“The Interaction of Linguistic Theory, Linguistic Description and Linguistic Documentation”, Keynote Address, 21st Conference of the Linguistics Association of Nigeria, Nov. 19-23, 2007. (With Bruce Connell.)
“Tonal Conspiracies and Tonal Complexes,” Harvard University Colloquium Series on Linguistic Theory. April 21, 2006.
“The Prosodic Organization of Tones,” Invited plenary talk, 24th West African Languages Congress, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria. August 4, 2004.
“Tonal Complexes and Tone Polarization,” Invited talk, State University of New York at Albany, April 10, 2003.
“Tonal Complexes and Tone Polarization,” Invited talk, University of Delaware, April 11, 2003.
“Tonal Complexes and Tone Polarization”, Invited talk, Cornell University, May 7 2002.
“Tone Polarization and Dissimilation”, Journées de tonologie, ERSS-CNRS & Université Toulouse-Le Mirail, Toulouse, France. June 28-29, 2001. (With Mark Liberman)
“Tone Polarization and Dissimilation”, Workshop on Typology of African Prosodic Systems , Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany. May 18-20, 2001. (With Mark Liberman)
“Asymmetries in Reduplicative and Nonreduplicative defaults,” University of Delaware Colloquium series. February 11, 2000.
“Patterns of Tonal Transfer,” University of Maryland, College Park, February 6, 1998.
“Featural Affixation,” University of Delaware, November 10, 1995.
“Featural Alignment,” International Workshop on Phonological Structure, University of Durham, Durham, UK. Sept. 1994.
“Optimality and Grounded Phonology: Vowel Harmony in Yoruba Dialects,” University of Massachusetts, Amherst, December 1993.
“Prosodic Targets and Vocalic Specification in Ibibio Verbs”, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, N.J., September 1992.
Conference Talks
“Tone in Pronominal Inflections and Polarity in Dan (gblɛ̀ɛ̀wò)” Collquium on African Languages and Linguistics, Leiden, August 2020. (with Tadjou-N’Deen Mamadou-Yacoubou and Bleu Gondo)
“The Phonology and Grammar of tone spreading in Dan,” 50th Annual Conference on African Linguistics, Vancouver, UBC, Canada. May 22 – 24, 2019. (with Gildas Gondo, Tadjou N’dine Mamadou Yacoubou, and Hazel Mitchley.
“Tone ‘Polarization’ in Defaka [AFN],” 49th Annual Conference on African Linguistics, Michigan State University, Lansing, MI. March 22 – 24, 2018. (with Bruce Connell and William Bennett)
“Cross Consonantal Vowel Assimilation in Yoruba; a review,” 30th West African Languages Congress, University of Winneba, Winneba, Ghana. July 31-August 5, 2017.
“The Typology of NC sequences in Central Tano,” 48th Annual Conference on African Linguistics, Indiana University, IN. March 30 – April 2, 2017. (with Augustina Owusu)
“On Inalienable Possessive Ergative Constructions in Yoruba,” 8th World Congress of African Linguistics, Kyoto, Japan. August 21 – 25, 2015. (With Oluseye Adesola)
“Category Change in Segmental Alternations: High Vowels and Syllabic Nasals,” RULingX, Rutgers University, May 2-3, 2015.
“Parasitic Harmony and Surface Correspondence,” Association for Contemporary African Linguistics ACAL46, University of Oregon. March 26 – 26, 2015. (With Luca Iacoponi)
“Defaka and Nkoroo: moving from tone to accentual systems,” 45th Annual Conference on Afican Linguistics, University of Kansas, Lawrence. April 17 – 19, 2014. (With Bruce Connell, Will Bennett and Inoma Essien)
“Noncompositional Tones in Defaka Compounds”. 7th World Congress of African Linguistics, Aug. 20 – 24, 2012, Buea, Cameroon. (With Bruce Connell, Will Bennett and Inoma Essien)
“The place of Ijoid in Niger-Congo: A review of the evidence”. 7th World Congress of African Linguistics, Aug. 20 – 24, 2012, Buea, Cameroon. (With Bruce Connell and William Bennett)
“Word Order Patterns in Defaka”. 42nd Annual Conference on African Linguistics (ACAL 42), June 2011, University of Maryland. (With Bennett, William, and Bruce Connell.)
“Nkoroo Pronominal system.” Presented at the 23rd Conference of the Linguistic Association of Nigeria (CLAN), University of Port Harcourt, November 29 – December 3, 2010. (With Obikudo, E. F., B. Connell, I. Essien, W. Bennett, and O-M Ndimele.)
“The sociolinguistic setting of the Defaka and Nkoroo People”. Presented at the 23rd Conference of the Linguistic Association of Nigeria (CLAN), University of Port Harcourt, November 29 – December 3, 2010. (With Obikudo, E. F., B. Connell, I. Essien, W. Bennett, and O-M Ndimele.)
“[ATR] and the Acoustic Structure of Defaka Vowels”. Presented at the 40th Colloquium on African Languages and Linguistics (CALL 40), August 2010, Leiden University. (with Bruce Connell, William Bennett, Jo Verhoeven & Meng Yang.)
“Language Knowledge and Use in the Eastern Niger Delta (Nkoroo Town).” 41st Annual Conference on African Linguistics, Toronto, May 6-8, 2010.
(with Connell B., Wm. Bennett, I. Essien, E. Obikudo, and O-m. Ndimele.)
“The tone structure of Defaka nominal constructions.” 6th World Congress of African Linguistics, Aug. 17 – 21, 2009, Cologne, Germany.
“Realizational Differences between Questions and Statements in Defaka.” 40th Annual Conference on African Linguistics, Urbana-Champaign, April 2009.
(with Connell, B., Wm. Bennett, I. Essien, E. Obikudo, and O-m. Ndimele.)
“The Phonology of Ibibio loan words,” 40th Annual Conference on African Linguistics, Urbana-Champaign. April 9, 2009.
“Documenting Defaka [afn] and Nkoroo [nkx].” Poster: Summer School on Language Documentation. July 17 – July 26, 2008. Winneba, Ghana. (With B. Connell, O-M. Ndimele, Wm. Bennett, I. Essien and O. Obikudo.)
“The tone structure of Nkoroo nominal constructions.” 26th West African Languages Congress, Winneba, Ghana. Tuesday July 29, 2008. (With Bruce Connell and Ebitare Obikudo.)
“Category Change as Vowel Reduction,” GLOW XXX, Tromso, Norway. April 12 – 14, 2007.
“Reduced Syllables in Yoruba,” 36th Colloquium on African Languages and Linguistics, RijksUniversiteit te Leiden, Leiden, The Netherlands. August 28-30, 2006.
“Ibibio Vowel Distribution,” 37th Annual Conference on African Linguistics, University of Oregon, Eugene. April 7, 2006.
“The Tonal Phonology of Tem Nominal Suffixes,” 36th Annual Conference on African Linguistics, Georgia Southern University, Athens. March 31-April 2, 2005.
“Tonal metathesis in Lokaa,” 33rd Colloquium on African Languages and Linguistics, RijksUniversiteit te Leiden, Leiden, The Netherlands. August 24, 2003.
“Transparency and Opacity in Lokaa Vowel Harmony,” 4th World Congress of African Linguistics, Rutgers University, June 17 – 22, 2003. (With Alex Iwara)
“The tonal phonology and phonetics of the future negative in Lokaa,” 32nd Colloquium on African Languages and Linguistics, RijksUniversiteit te Leiden, Leiden, The Netherlands. August 2002. (With Alex Iwara and Hubert Truckenbrodt.)
“The Phonetic Structure of Lokaa Tones,” 33rd Annual Conference on African Linguistics, Ohio University, Athens. March 22-24, 2002. (With Alex Iwara and Hubert Truckenbrodt.
“Tonal Complexes”, NELS 31, Georgetown University, Washington D.C. Oct. 6-8, 2000. (With Mark Liberman)
“Tonal Complexes and Tonal Alignment”, 30th Colloquium on African Languages and Linguistics, RijksUniversiteit te Leiden, Leiden, The Netherlands. August 2000.
(With Mark Liberman)
“Sonorant Nasalization in Yoruba Deverbal Nouns”, 3rd World Congress on African Linguistics, Universite du Benin, Lome, Togo. August 2000.
“Tonal Complexes and Tonal Alignment”, Tone Symposium, University of Tromso, Tromso, Norway. June 5-7, 2000. (With Mark Liberman)
“Asymmetries in Reduplicative and Nonreduplicative defaults,” 31st Annual Conference on African Linguistics, Boston University, Boston. March 3, 2000.
“Asymmetries in Reduplicative and Nonreduplicative defaults,” 29th Colloquium on African Languages and Linguistics, RijksUniversiteit te Leiden, Leiden, The Netherlands. September, 1999.
“The Tonal Phonology of Yoruba Clitics,” Linguistics Society of America, Los Angeles, CA. January, 1999. (with Mark Liberman)
“The Tonal Phonology of Yoruba Clitics,” 28th Colloquium on African Languages and Linguistics, RijksUniversiteit te Leiden, Leiden, The Netherlands. September, 1998. (with Mark Liberman)
“The Tonal Phonology of Yoruba Clitics,” West African Languages Congress, University of Cocody, Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, July 1998. (with Mark Liberman)
“Patterns of Tonal Transfer I,” 27th Colloquium on African Languages and Linguistics, RijksUniversiteit te Leiden, Leiden, The Netherlands. August, 1997.
“Tone in Ibibio Verbal Reduplication,” 2nd World Congress of African Linguistics, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany. July, 1997. (With Eno Urua)
“Patterns of Tonal Transfer I,” 28th Annual Conference on African Linguistics, Cornell University, Ithaca. July, 1997.
“Structures and Constraints in Tonal Phonology,” 27th Annual Conference on African Linguistics, University of Florida, Gainesville. March, 1996. (With Moussa Bamba and Mark Liberman).
“On the Phonetic Interpretation of the Yoruba Tonal System,” International Congress of Phonetic Sciences, Stockholm, Sweden. August 1995. (With Mark Liberman.)
“MAX in Tonal Transfer,” 6th Formal Linguistics Society of MidAmerica Conference, Indiana University, Bloomington. May 1995.
“Kalabari Vowel Harmony,” 26th Annual Conference on African Linguistics, University of California, Los Angeles. March, 1995.
“On the Phonetic Interpretation of Yoruba Tone,” 19th Penn Linguistics Colloquium, February 1995. (With Mark Liberman)
“Kalabari Vowel Harmony,” 24th Colloquium on African Languages and Linguistics, RijksUniversiteit te Leiden, Leiden, The Netherlands. September, 1994.
“Alignment Constraints in ATR Harmony,” 5th Formal Linguistics Society of MidAmerica Conference, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, May 1994.
“Featural Alignment”. 25th Annual Conference on African Linguistics, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, March 1994.
“The Phonetic Realization of the Yoruba Mid Tone”. 24th Annual Conference on African Linguistics, Ohio State University, Columbus, July 1993.
“Prosodic Truncation and Template Satisfaction in Ibibio”. 23rd Annual Conference on African Linguistics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, March 1992.
“Prosodic Target and Vocalic Specification in Ibibio Verbs”. 11th West Coast Conference on Formal Linguistics, University of California, Los Angeles, February 1992. (With Eno Urua).
“Supraglottal Deletion in Yoruba Glides”. 10th West Coast Conference on Formal Linguistics, Arizona State University, Tempe, Az., March 1991.
“Glide Alternations in Yoruba”. Seventeenth Conference of the Berkeley Linguistics Society, February 1991.
"Underspecification and the phonology of Yoruba /r/". 20th Colloquium on African Languages and Linguistics, Rijksuniversiteit te Leiden, Leiden, The Netherlands, September 1990.
"Tiori Fonoloji ati Ohun Yoruba". First Odujinrin Memorial Seminar, Ogun State University, Ago-Iwoye, Nigeria, April, 1989.
“Tone and Intonation in Yoruba Declarative Sentences”. (with Y. Laniran) 19th Annual Conference on African Linguistics, Boston University, April 1988.
"Issues in the Development of Lexical Strata for Yoruba". 16th Colloquium of African Languages and Linguistics, RijksUniversiteit te Leiden, Leiden, The Netherlands, September, 1986.
"Lexical and Postlexical Rule Application: Vowel Deletion in Yoruba". (With F. Oyebade), 17th West African Languages Congress, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria, March 1986.
"Lexical and Postlexical Rule Application: Vowel Deletion in Yoruba". (With F. Oyebade) Department of Linguistics, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria, February, 1986.
Service at Rutgers
Chair, University Appointments and Promotions Grievance Committee, 2020-21
Member, Appointments and Promotions Committee, SAS. 2009-2010, 2017-18, 2020-22.
Graduate School representative on the University Senate. Sept 2012-
Member, Executive Committee, Center for African Studies, 2000-2001, 2008-
Member, SAS Academic Standing Committee, 2007-2009.
Member, Standing Committee on Language (Center for African Studies), 2000-
Adhoc tenure committee member, Africana studies department. 2005-06.
FAS Affirmative Action Committee, 2004-2005.
University Appointments and Promotions Grievance Committee, Spring 2004.
FAS Committee on Increasing Faculty Diversity, Spring 2004.
Chair, Standing Committee on Language (Center for African Studies), 2000-2001
Member, Center for African Studies, 1998-
Member, Humanities Area Committee, Graduate School. 1999-2001
Member, Language Search Committee, CAS, 2000.
Representative, Faculty Council (Hebraic studies, Linguistics), 1998-2001
Member, New Brunswick Overview Committee (for the Middle States 1998 accreditation), 1996-97
Chair, Phonology Search Committee, 2018-2019.
Chair, Department of Linguistics, 1998-2001
Undergraduate Director, Dept. of Linguistics, 1995-1997, Fall 2002, Spring 2004, F 2011-2014
Member, FAS Affirmative Action Committee, 1992-94
Member, Phonology Search Committee, 1994, 1996.
Member, Committee on Review of Introductory Courses in Linguistics
Authored “615:101 Introduction to The Study of Language: Instructor’s Handbook,” with Veneeta Srivastav, Aug. 1993.
Member, Graduate Admissions Committee, 1992-
Member, Semantics Search Committee, 1990.
Service to Discipline
President, Association for Contemporary African Linguistics 2017 – 2021.
President, World Congress of African Linguistics, 2009 - 2015
Co-Founder, African Linguistics School, 2008.
Vice President, Association for Contemporary African Linguistics 2014-2017
Elected Council Member, West African Languages Society, August 2004-
Elected Member, WOCAL executive committee, June 2003-
Elected Member, Steering Committee, Annual Conference on African Linguistics 1999-2014
Host, 4th World Congress of African Linguistics, June 2003.
Host, 34th Annual Conference on African Linguistics, June 2003.
Director, 25th Annual Conference on African Linguistics, Rutgers University, March 1994.
Graduate Student Research Supervision
Rutgers Ph.D Dissertations
Tadjou Ndine Mamadou Yakoubou (Co-Chair) (Ongoing)
Eileen Blum (committee member) (Ongoing)
Chris Oakden (committee member) (completed 2021)
Shu-hao Shih (committee member) (completed 2018)
Nicholas Danis (Chair) (completed 2017)
Peter Staroverov (committee member) (completed 2014)
Jeremy Perkins (Co-chair) (completed 2013)
William Bennett (committee member) (completed 2013)
Lee, Seung Hun (Co-chair) (completed 2008)
Markus Hiller (Chair)
Lian-Hee Wee (Chair) (completed 2004)
Ahmadu Kawu (Chair) (completed 2002)
Eric Bakovic (committee member) (completed 1999)
Edward Keer (committee member) (completed 1999)
Brett Hyde (committee member) (completed 2000)
Nicole Nelson (committee member) (completed 2003)
Oluseye Adesola (committee member) (completed 2004)
Andre Nuendel (committee member)
Jose Elias Ulloa (committee member) (completed 2006)
External Examiner
Sale Maikanti Universiti Putra Malaysia, Malaysia (ONLINE) (February 2021)
Virginia Renee Beavon-Ham Leiden University, the Netherlands (November, 2019)
Beatrice A. Koffi Universite Felix Houphouet-Boigny, Cote d’Ivore. (July 2018)
Charlotte Lomotey Texas A&M University, Commerce, Texas. (March 2015)
Neba Ayu'nwi University of Buea, Cameroon (2012)
External Member
Samuel Akinbo University of British Columbia, Vancouver (completed 2021)
Ebitare Obikudo University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria. (Co-Chair) (competed 2013)
Inoma G. Essien University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria. (Co-Chair) (completed 2013)
Marek Przezdziecki Cornell University (external committee member) (completed 2002)
Generals Papers (Ph.D Qualifying Papers)
2019-2020
Tadjou Ndine Mamadou Yakoubou
2018-2019
Tadjou Ndine Mamadou Yakoubou
Nathan Koser
2016-2018
Eileen Blum
Hazel Mitchley
2014-2015
Shu-hao Shih
Vartan Haghverdi
2013-2014
Luca Iacoponi
Nicholas Danis
2012-2013
Hope McManus (co-chair)
Sarah Hansen (co-chair)
2011-2012
Ryan Denzer-King (committee member)
Hope McManus (committee member)
2010-2011
Ryan Denzer-King (committee member)
2009-2010
Eric Wirkerman (Chair)
Peter Staroverov (committee member)
2008-2009
Jeremy Perkins (committee member)
2007-2008
William Bennett (Chair)
Jimmy Bruno (committee member)
2005-06
Heeshin Koak (Co-chair)
Michael O’Keefe
Daniel Altshuler
2002-03
Nazarré Merchant
Xiaoli Shi
Jose Elias Ulloa
2001-02
Oluseye Adesola (Chair)
Scott Zola (co-Chair)
Li Ping Chen (Chair)
Koichi Nishitani
2000-01
Oluseye Adesola
1999-00
Lian-Hee Wee (Chair)
Zsuzsanna Nagy
Andre Nundel
Heather Robinson
Markus Hiller
1998-99
Luba Butska (Chair)
1997-98
Ahmadu Kawu (Chair)
Michal Barak
1996-97
Yoko Futagi
1995-96
Brett Hyde
1994-95
Eric Bakovic
Edward Keer
1993-94
Yael Sharvit
Undergraduate (Honors dissertation committee)
Peter Fabian (2010-11)
Leila Rauf (1997-98)
Karen Arnold (1997-98)