Alex Walker ~ Adjunct Research Fellow

Dr Walker's interests include writing systems, phonetics, historical linguistics, switch-reference systems, and lexicography. His undergraduate and graduate work in linguistics focused on the documentation of Southern Pomo, the recently extinct language native to the greater Santa Rosa area of California. Dr. Walker’s dissertation was the first descriptive grammar of the language, and he taught Southern Pomo for the Dry Creek Rancheria Band of Pomo Indians from 2011-2014. His updated grammar of Southern Pomo has been published recently and can be found here. In addition to ongoing work with Southern Pomo, Dr. Walker works on Northeastern Pomo, a related language with no living speakers. As a Research Fellow at the Language and Culture Research Centre, his research is centered on Panim, an endangered Papuan language of Madang Province, Papua New Guinea.

Interests

Research

• Linguistics
• Endangered languages: I have written a grammar of Southern Pomo, an Indigenous California language; I am writing a grammar of the Chhé'ee Fokaa (Northeastern Pomo) language of Northern California; I am writing a grammatical sketch of Panim, Papuan language of Madang, Papua New Guinea.
• Pomoan languages: I have written a grammar of Southern Pomo, an Indigenous California language; I am writing a grammar of the Chhé'ee Fokaa (Northeastern Pomo) language of Northern California;
• Papuan languages: I have made four trips to Papua New Guinea to conference with elders and am writing a grammatical sketch of Panim, Papuan language of Madang, Papua New Guinea.

Experience

• 2018 to present - Research Fellow, James Cook University (Cairns, Australia)
• 2018 to present - Vice President, Western Institute for Endangered Language Documentation (Riverside, Calfornia)
• 2017 to 2018 - Lecturer, California State University, Fullerton (Fullerton, California)
• 2013 to 2018 - President, Western Institute for Endangered Language Documentation (San Jose, California)
• 2012 to 2015 - Adjunct Associate Professor, San Joaquin Delta College (Stocktoon, California)
• 2011 to 2014 - Language Project Coordinator, Dry Creek Rancheria Band of Pomo Indians (Santa Rosa, California)

Research Disciplines

• Linguistics (4704)

Socio-Economic Objectives

• Understanding past societies (1307)
• Expanding knowledge (2801)

Awards

• 2013 - Board member for Western Institute for Endangered Language Documentation

Fellowships

• 2015 to 2016 - NEH-NSF Documenting Endangered Languages Fellowship

Other

• 2021 - Linguistic consultant for Dry Creek Band of Pomo Indians
• 2021 - Language consultant to Chhé'ee Fokaa (Northeastern Pomo) tribe

These are the most recent publications associated with this author. To see a detailed profile of all publications stored at JCU, visit ResearchOnline@JCU. Hover over Altmetrics badges to see social impact.

Journal Articles

• Walker N (2022) Southern Pomo switch-reference and its origins within Pomoan. International Journal of American Linguistics, 88 (1). pp. 95-127

Books

• Walker N (2020) A grammar of Southern Pomo. University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA

Book Chapters

• Walker N (2016) Assessing the effects of language contact on Northeastern Pomo. In: Language Contact and Change in the Americas: studies in honor of Marianne Mithun. Studies and Language Companion Series (SLCS), 173. John Benjamins Publishing Company, Amsterdam, Netherlands, pp. 67-90

Advisory Accreditation: I can be on your Advisory Panel as a Secondary Advisor.

These Higher Degree Research projects are either current or by students who have completed their studies within the past 5 years at JCU. Linked titles show theses available within ResearchOnline@JCU.

Completed

• A grammar of Doromu-Koki: a Papuan language of Papua New Guinea (2022, PhD , Secondary Advisor)