My current research projects include
1) Uncovering the dynamics of person marking: A construction-based approach in historical microtypology (funded by the German Research Foundation, Emmy-Noether Program, University of Cologne, 2021-2023)
This project, which had to be terminated before properly taking off due to my move to the University of Bern, intended to investigate the diachronic dynamics of person markers. That is, how particular person markers (rather than entire paradigms) change, and more specifically, how this happens in particular constructions. The goal was to offer the first systematic approach to understanding the specific ways in which person markers can and do change over time, through a historical microtypology study on the South-Central (SC; “Kuki-Chin”) branch of Trans-Himalayan (Sino-Tibetan). I am currently re-planning this research and hoping to begin a new project on the same topic in the near future.
2) A grammar of Monsang (funded by the National Science Foundation, USA, Grant # BCS-1360632 "Documenting the language of Manipur: Clues to the prehistory of Sino-Tibetan languages" to Scott DeLancey (PI), University of Oregon, USA, 2014-2020)
A comprehensive state-of-the-art grammar of Monsang, a South-Central Trans-Himalayan language of Manipur, Northeast India. Main Monsang collaborator: Mr. Koninglee Wanglar. Two major outcomes are a diverse corpus of Monsang (Konnerth and Wanglar 2019) and a grammatical description, currently in preparation. Further outcomes of this project are reported in the following publications:
Konnerth, Linda. To appear 2022: "On the phylogenetic status of the Northwestern subbranch of South-Central ("Kuki-Chin"): A case study in historical phonology." In Ethno-linguistic prehistory of the Eastern Himalaya, edited by Toni Huber, Stephen Morey, and Mark Post. Brill.
Ozerov, Pavel and Linda Konnerth. 2021. “Multiple functions of the inclusive: Examining synchronic variation in light of diachronic shift in South-Central Trans-Himalayan.” Folia Linguistica Historica 55 (s42-s1): 175–204.
Konnerth, Linda. 2020. "On the nature of inverse systems: The rise of inverse marking via antipassive constructions." Diachronica. https://doi.org/10.1075/dia.18055.kon
Konnerth, Linda. 2020. "Recycling through perspective persistence in Monsang (Trans-Himalayan): Reconstructing the desiderative from a reported intentionality construction." Functions of Language 27 (1): 55-77.
Konnerth, Linda, and Koninglee Wanglar. 2019. "A gramar of Monsang, an endangered language of Manipur, India: an archive of audio(-video) recordings and related materials." London: SOAS, Endangered Languages Archive. URL: https://elar.soas.ac.uk/Collection/MPI852858
Konnerth, Linda, and Scott DeLancey. 2019. "Introduction to verb agreement systems in languages of the Eastern Himalayan region." Himalayan Linguistics 18(1): 1-7.
Konnerth, Linda, and Koninglee Wanglar. 2019. "Person indexation in Monsang from a diachronic perspective." Himalayan Linguistics 18(1): 54-77
Konnerth, Linda. 2018. "The historical phonology of Monsang (Northwestern South-Central/"Kuki-Chin"): A case of reduction in phonological complexity." Himalayan Linguistics 17(1): 19-49.
3) The Karbi Song Language: Words of traditional knowledge and evidence of historical language contact, in collaboration with Sikari Tisso (funded by the Firebird Foundation, USD $5,620, 2016-present)
A project to document the Karbi Song Language. Outcomes consist of a corpus of Karbi songs with a total of 15 hours of recordings as well as a dictionary of the Karbi Song Language with 632 entries, currently in preparation for publication.
Grants
Emmy Noether Program, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation), Uncovering the dynamics of person marking: A construction-based approach in historical microtypology. 2020.
Funding program Kleine Fächer - Große Potenziale, Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (German Federal Ministry of Education and Research), Die Konservativität und Komplexität Kleiner Sprachen: Sino-Tibetische Frühgeschichte mit spezieller Relevanz für eine diachrone Typologie verbaler Personenmarkierung (The conservativeness and complexity of small languages: Sino-Tibetan prehistory with special relevance for a diachronic typology of verbal person marking) (€ 285,018), 2019-2022. Declined due to an offer (Akadem. Rätin a.Z.) at the University of Regensburg
Fellowship for the Documentation of Oral Literature and Traditional Ecological Knowledge, Firebird Foundation, The Karbi Song Language: Words of traditional knowledge and evidence of historical language contact (USD $5,620), with Sikari Tisso, 2016
Small Professional Grants, Center for Asian and Pacific Studies (University of Oregon), 2012, 2010, 2008
Graduate Student Research Grant, Center for the Study of Women in Society (University of Oregon), The Status of Women in Karbi Society, 2011
Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grant, National Science Foundation # BCS-0951749, Doctoral Dissertation Research: A descriptive grammar of Karbi (USD $11,995), 2010
Awards
Second Prize in Best paper presentation by a postdoctoral researcher competition, 50th Annual Meeting of the Societas Linguistica Europaea (SLE). Zurich, Switzerland, 2017
Panini Award best grammar passed as a dissertation in the years 2011-2014, Association for Linguistic Typology (ALT), 2015
First Prize in 3 Minute Thesis (3MT) competition at the University of Oregon, 2013 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxUxIPfDr6I
Graduate Dissertation Fellowship, The Oregon Humanities Center, University of Oregon, 2012
Gary E. Smith Summer Professional Development Award, funding attendance of the Summer Linguistic Institute "Language in the World" of the Linguistic Society of America, 2011
Fellowship to attend SWL IV conference in Lyon, France, SWL IV organizing committee, CNRS and Université Lumière Lyon II, 2010
Jahresstipendium für Studierende aller Fächer (One-year scholarship for students of any major), Deutscher Akademischer Austausch Dienst (DAAD/German Academic Exchange Service, 2006-2007
