‘A Monumental Step’ in Reclaiming a California Indigenous Language

For his graduate research comparing languages around the world, Lewis Lawyer couldn’t find a single published reference book on Patwin, an endangered language once spoken in hundreds of Northern California communities, including what is now Davis. So, on his way to completing his UC Davis doctorate, Lawyer wrote one. With the release of "A Grammar of Patwin," the findings of his dissertation are now available to scholars as well as to Patwin/Wintun people working to revitalize their ancestral language.

Linguistics Department Hosts Prestigious Summer Institute

Close to 400 noted and emerging linguists from around the world will converge at UC Davis on June 24 for a month of intensive instruction, professional development and informal networking that will help shape the future of their field. The theme of the 2019 Linguistic Society of America institute is Linguistics in the Digital Era.

French Professor Has Blues on Her Mind

French Professor Julia Simon had been teaching, singing and writing about the blues for a number of years when both a colleague and her adult daughter recently suggested she could do something more with her blues knowledge, her mixing board, and her vast collection of blues music stored on an iPod. So, earlier this summer, following this suggestion, the blues singer and bass player started a podcast, “Blues on My Mind.