Doctoral Dissertation Research: A Grammar of Kokama-Kokamilla

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This research project will document Kokama-Kokamilla, a deeply endangered language spoken in the Peruvian Amazon. The need for documentation is urgent, as nearly all of the estimated 1,500 remaining speakers are elderly people, and natural processes of language transmission from generation to generation have been interrupted. This project involves a significant fieldwork component and analysis leading to a comprehensive reference grammar, collection of texts, and glossary of this minimally documented language. The dissertation will analyze patterns in phonology, morphology, syntax, and discourse, and provide a historical account for grammaticalization processes, shedding light on the evolution of the language, and potentially on the history of this people. The genetic classification of Kokama-Kokamilla has traditionally been classified as part of the Tupian family; however, more recent research questions this affiliation, claiming that Kokama-Kokamilla is an isolate. Thus, an in-depth description of Kokama-Kokamilla is imperative to pursue further comparative analysis and historical reconstruction. The project will document an endangered language on phenomena of current theoretical interest, such as the interaction of prosody, information structure and syntax, and will inform our understanding of diachrony within the Tupian linguistic family. It will provide reliable information to linguistic theoreticians and typologists working on comparative analysis and historical reconstruction to address enduring inquiries about early connections among Amazonian peoples, including migratory movements. The broader impacts of the project will be its contribution to ongoing revitalization efforts. It will provide much needed Kokama-Kokamilla language resources to language learners, teachers, and other scholars committed to the revitalization and maintenance of the language. This project will produce valuable material for the development of pedagogical grammars and classroom materials, as well as for continued training of bilingual teachers in Kokama-Kokamilla and Spanish.