ORCID
Past research projects
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Research (NWO), Vici Grant Research Project
Reconstructing the past through languages of the present: The Lesser Sunda Islands (2014 - 2019) Languages develop in two ways: they inherit words and structures from a proto-language, or they borrow from neighboring languages. The difference between these processes is often difficult to determine because neighboring languages usually have the same proto-language. This research analyzed the differences between borrowing and inheriting through the study of a unique language area in eastern Indonesia where borrowing between languages that are not related to each other occurs. This provided information about the evolution of language in general, and about the history of the speakers in that region in particular. Further information: research project website |
Collaborative Research Project
Grammar Matrix Reloaded: Syntax and Semantics of Affectedness (2014-2017) Principal Investigator: František Kratochvíl from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. With the ever increasing development in computational linguistic tools, the fields of grammar engineering and language description have much to contribute to one another. This research will explore the challenging grammatical notion of affectedness in a large set of diverse languages from around the world. We hope to uncover the underlying nature of affectedness and apply our findings in improving grammar engineering. |
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EuroBABEL Collaborative Research Project
Alor-Pantar languages: Origins and theoretical impact (2009-2013) This research project aimed to further document and analyse the non-Austronesian languages of several islands of the Alor-Pantar region in southeastern Indonesia. Until very recently, these endangered languages were among the least documented languages of Indonesia. Read more under Projects. Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO),Vernieuwingsimpuls (VIDI) Research Grant
Linguistic Variation in Eastern Indonesia: The Alor and Pantar project (2002-2008) This research concerned an initial survey of the linguistic situation on the islands of Alor and Pantar in southeastern Indonesia, as well as an in-depth description of four languages spoken there: Abui, Teiwa, Alorese and Klon. Read more under Projects. Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) Royal Academy Fellowship
Grammaticalization in languages of Eastern Indonesia (1996-1999) The goal of this project was to investigate the historical development of functional elements in the Austronesian (Central-Malayo-Polynesian, CMP) languages in eastern Indonesia, focussing in particular on Kambera. Read more under Projects. |
Collaborative Research Project funded by the European Commission
Characterizing Human Language by Structural Complexity (CHLaSC) (2008-2010) This research project investigated the structural complexity of human language and its significance for human nature. Read more under Projects. The Hans Rausing Endangered Languages Project (HRELP), SOAS, London
Documentation of Klon, Abui, and Teiwa (2004) Main applicant: Louise Baird The primary aim of this project was to collect more language data for Klon, Abui and Teiwa to add to the body of data collected in 2003 by during the Linguistic Variation in Eastern Indonesia project in order to produce short grammar sketches, a reference grammar, trilingual dictionaries and a collection of texts for the local communities. Read more under Projects. Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO), Personal Grant, Individual PhD Research Project
The morphology of Kambera (1990-1994) The primary aim of this project was to document and describe the Kambera language in detail. This involved 18 months of fieldwork on the island of Sumba in southeastern Indonesia. Read more under Projects. |