James Gair (Cornell University)

submitted: Tue, 6 Dec 1994 12:11:06 -0500

James W. Gair
Professor of Linguistics
Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics
407 Morrill Hall
Cornell University
Ithaca N.Y. 14853     USA

phones: 607-255-5110 (office)
        607-387-6124 (residence) 
FAX:    607-255-7491
email: jwg2@cornell.edu

Description of work:

My chief interests are in linguistics, particularly South Asian
Linguistics. This includes Synchronic (essentially generative),
historical, sociolinguistics (especially varieties and diglossia), and
typology. I have also worked in the areas of pedagogy and first and second
language acquisition (particularly second) and in language pedagogy. 

I have worked and published on Hindi and co-authored on Marathi and
Bengali. However, my main research has been in South-South Asia, and
particularly in Sri Lanka. I have carried out extensive research and
teaching and published on Sinhala (Sinhalese), but also on Tamil and Pali.
Recently I have also been working on Mahl (Minicoy) and Divehi/Dhivehi
(Maldivian). Current main interests are on the application of current
theory to South Asian languages, chiefly syntax and anaphora, and on
linguistic area, particularly in identification and explanation of the
South-South Asian one. 
  
Current projects (Fall 1994): I am publishing a collection of papers on
Sinhala and South Asian linguistics (Oxford), as well as a (co-authored
with W.S. Karunatillake) basic text for reading Pali (Motilal), and am
co-editor of a volume on anaphora in South Asian languages (along with
Kashi Wali, K. Subbarao, and Barbara Lust. (Mouton). An extensive paper on
the South-South Asian area is in progress.