Native speakers and Fresno State linguists release online Chukchansi speaking dictionary

October 21, 2023.Reading time 7 minutes.

Dr. Niken Adisasmito-Smith poses for a photo.

After 14 years of working with native speakers, the Department of Linguistics has released a new Chukchansi language online speaking dictionary which contains recorded pronunciations by native speaker and tribal elder Dr. Holly Blossom Wyatt.

Interdisciplinary project documents indigenous knowledge of native plants

May 24, 2023.Reading time 7 minutes.

Image of Quercus kelloggii, the black oak, herbarium specimen

“The goal is to enhance STEM education here at Fresno State, to include in scientific databases local, native knowledge of plants including their geographic distribution, their uses and the vocabulary associated with these plants in native languages,” said Dr. Brian Agbayani. “…it’s important for us to be both supporters and stewards in the region.”

Mary Johnson, Department of Linguistics Student of Distinction

March 27, 2020.Reading time 3 minutes.

“She approaches everything with real drive, and nothing stands up to her fierce intellect.” – Dr. Chris Golston

Linguistics Department research helps preserve endangered languages

November 28, 2017.Reading time 10 minutes.

Professor John Boyles works with students and a language consultant in a field methods class.

Faculty and students in the Department of Linguistics are involved in crucial research and work to preserve endangered native languages.

Research studies across campus apply to real-world issues

August 22, 2017.Reading time 6 minutes.

Linguistics department heading to do field work in Montana.

From preserving indigenous languages in the College of Arts and Humanities, to drone research in the Lyles College of Engineering, to air pollution research in the College of Health and Human Services, Fresno State faculty and students are tackling some of the region’s most pressing issues and developing new ideas and solutions every day. For students, this focus on applied research offers opportunities to take classroom learning out into the field and gain valuable experience that will help provide solutions for the region or boost job skills needed after graduation.

Helping Revitalize Endangered Native Languages

August 20, 2016.Reading time 8 minutes.

Pictured above: Brian Moran, right, with Martha Birdbear, one of the Hidatsa speakers in North Dakota. UPDATE, Aug. 20, 2016: From KVPR’s “Valley Edition”: Linguistics professors and students at Fresno State are hard at work on a mammoth task – saving the language of the Chukchansi tribe of Mono Indians. One thing makes their task especially […]