Laura C. Robinson, PhD

Lecturer
Rice University
Department of Linguistics
laura.c.robinson@rice.edu

Current Research

I recently finished my dissertation, which is a grammar and dictionary of Dupaningan Agta, a minority Negrito language spoken in northeast Luzon, Philippines (Cagayan province).

Dissertation Abstract:
Dupaningan Agta is an Austronesian language (Philippine subgroup) spoken in northeastern Luzon, Philippines by approximately 1,500 semi-nomadic hunter-gatherers belonging to the Negrito ethnic minority. The language is endangered and is rapidly losing child speakers. This dissertation introduces the language situation and discusses phonology (synchronic and historical) and morphosyntax (word order, word classes, the verb complex, aspect, case marking, nominalization, question formation, relative clauses and other essential aspects of Dupaningan grammar). Dupaningan Agta has a relatively simple phonological system, with fifteen consonants and five vowels. Of note, *a has been fronted to /i/ or /e/ after the voiced stops /b d g/. Morphosyntactically, the language has a typical Philippine-type “focus” or “symmetrical voice” system. The topics of transitivity and ergativity are explored in this dissertation, with special reference to an interesting “double-object” construction with two syntactic subjects. Finally, this dissertation includes a substantial vocabulary and selection of texts.

Download the dissertation in PDF here
Visit my online dictionary of Dupaningan Agta created with Lexique Pro



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Me working in coastal Isabela province in August, 2006

Education:
PhD, Linguistics, 2008, University of Hawai'i, Manoa
B.A., Linguistics & Anthropology, 2002, University of California, Davis

Publications:
Honeyman, Tom & Laura C. Robinson. 2007. Solar power for the digital fieldworker. Language Documentation & Conservation 1(1): 17-27.
Robinson, Laura C. 2006. Archiving directly from the field. IN Sustainable data from digital fieldwork, ed. by Linda Barwick and Nicholas Thieberger, 23-32. Sydney, Australia: Sydney University Press.
Robinson, Laura C. 2005. A grammatical sketch of Tindal Dusun. University of Hawai'i Working Papers in Linguistics 36(5):1-31.

A copy of my CV in PDF