PhD in Linguistics - Historical Linguistics in Ann Arbor United States | University of Michigan Ann Arbor

The historical linguistics research interests of our faculty encompass sound change, methodologies for classifying language families, language contact phenomena, and the interplay between linguistic evolution and cognitive/social influences. Sally Thomason focuses on contact-induced language change while also examining intentional language modifications and critically assessing theories of deep linguistic connections. Bill Baxter's expertise lies in Chinese historical linguistics, complemented by his research into potential distant language relationships. As a phonetician, Pam Beddor explores the phonetic foundations of sound change. Steve Dworkin specializes in Romance language evolution, particularly lexical transformation processes. Ben Fortson's work centers on Indo-European linguistics. Acrisio Pires, whose primary field is formal syntax, examines syntactic shifts through the lens of language acquisition. Sociolinguist Robin Queen investigates the complex dynamics between language contact, ideological frameworks, and linguistic evolution. Our department's historical linguistics research community benefits from collaborative work with university colleagues across disciplines and neighboring institutions who study language history.