Doris L. Payne
Associate Professor
Department of Linguistics
University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403
Phone: (541) 346-3894 E-mail: dlpayne@oregon.uoregon.edu
Education & Professional
Positions
Professional
Associations
Students
Supervised
Research
Maasai
Language Project
Publications: Chronological
Topical
Education & professional
positions
1974 B.S. Mathematics
Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois
1976 M.A. Linguistics
University of Texas at Arlington
1985 Ph.D. Linguistics
University of California at Los Angeles
1985-1986 Visiting Assistant Professor, Department
of Linguistics, University of Oregon
1986-1987 Research Associate for research in Venezuela,
Department of Linguistics,
University of Oregon
1987-1993 Assistant Professor, Department of Linguistics,
University of Oregon
1993-
Associate Professor, Department of Linguistics, University of Oregon
1994-
International Linguistics Consultant, Summer Institute of Linguistics
1997-1999 Chair, Department of Linguistics,
University of Oregon
Research
My research has focused on morphosyntax of little-studied languages,
from typological, functional, and cognitive perspectives. A particular
interest has been verb-initial languages (Yagua,
Panare,
Maasai,
some Austronesian), and those where order of major consituents is based
primarily on cognitive - pragmatic factors such as identifiability and
contrastive focus (O'odham
or Papago). However, I have also worked on fairly rigid grammatical
relations languages (Chickasaw),
and various South
American languages. A growing research question is split
syntax.
Additional interests include sentence
and discourse processing
issues
in verb-initial languages, the function of grammatical forms in discourse,
and external
possession. I have had the priviledge of collaborating in study
of additional
languages with other investigators. Most recently, I have been
studying Maasai verb properties and working on a Maasai
dictionary with several students.
Professional
Associations
Since 1974 I have worked with the Summer Institute of
Linguistics and normally teach in the Oregon
Summer Institute of Linguistics program. In summer 1998, for
example, I led an introductory field methods course on Lunda (Bantu of
Zambia), with Boniface Kawasha who is beginning a graduate program in Linguistics
at Oregon.
Since 1995 I have collaborated on a Maasai dictionary and text data base with the Maasai Cultural Center, with native Maasai speakers Leonard Kotikash and Kimeli Ole-Naiyomah and others, and students at the University of Oregon (Duke Allen, Austin Bush, Mitsuyo Hamaya, Kent Rasmussen, Cindy Schneider and others).
Field research has almost always included
our children:
Anna Claire and Rospita in Urco Miraño,
Anna Claire and Stephanie Payne waiting
Peru.
to cross the Orinoco River.
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