Prof. Shakuntala Mahanta

Shakuntala Mahanta specializes in phonology, a branch of linguistics which deals with the human knowledge of sound systems and its organization. As a consequence of working in this specialized area she also works on the interaction of phonology with morphology, phonetics and to a lesser extent with syntax. Over the years, she has worked on various aspects of phonology, sociolinguistics, computational linguistics, Grapheme to Phoneme mapping in Indian linguistics, intonation and information structure. The following is a non exhaustive list of her research areas: 1)Theoretical approaches to vowel harmony 2) Nature of exceptional patterns in langauge 3) Stress and intonation in South Asian languages 4) Tone and Intonation in Tibeto-Burman languages 5)Intonation & Information Structure 6) Problems in Grapheme to Phoneme mapping in Indian languages 7) Endangered languages of Northeast India and their documentation She has authored a book on vowel harmony (Directionality and Locality in vowel harmony 2008, Utrecht: LOT Press) and she was awarded the Fulbright fellowship for Academic and Professional excellence (FNAPE 2015 -2016).
More info