Professor Emeritus of Anthropology and Linguistics
rburling@umich.edu
Language Documentation;
Linguistics
Education/Degree:
Ph.D., Harvard
About
Much of Robbins Burling's work centers on the linguistics and ethnology of tribal Northeast India and Bangladesh, and of related areas further east in Southeast Asia. He has worked since the 1950's (though with long interruptions) with the Garo people who are found in both NE India and in Bangladesh. He has written extensively about both the culture of these people and about their language. In addition he has a strong interest in the evolution of the human ability to learn a language.
Field(s) of Study
- Northeast India, Tibeto-Burman linguistics. Evolution of the capacity for language
