The University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh will welcome David A Peterson, associate professor of linguistics at Dartmouth College in the United States, as a senior fellow in linguistics at the department of English and humanities from November 17 to 27 in the fall 2025 term.
Peterson is a linguist with expertise in different fields of linguistics and language documentation, particularly within the Tibeto-Burman and Kuki-Chin language families, said a press release.聽
For more than twenty-five years, he has dedicated his research to the study of indigenous and endangered languages across Bangladesh, India and Myanmar, with notable work on Rengmitca, Khumi and Mro.
He earned his PhD in linguistics from the University of California, Berkeley, and continues to be recognised for his contributions to the understanding and preservation of lesser-studied languages in the region.
During his time at the ULAB, Peterson will meet faculty members, undergraduate and graduate students from the department and independent linguistics researchers of Bangladesh to discuss research ideas and curriculum and course development with reference to different fields of linguistics.
He will also facilitate a three-day workshop to train students from the ULAB English and computer science and engineering departments on language documentation and the use of technology in linguistics research.
A panel discussion will also be held as part of the three-day workshop, featuring linguists, community activists, and cultural representatives who will explore the preservation of linguistic diversity in Bangladesh, focusing on infrastructural and policy challenges and on strengthening academic and community efforts to safeguard endangered languages and cultural heritage.
Peterson will end his short stint with a master class on how to do linguistics research, which is open to both current students and alumni of ULAB鈥檚 English department.
