Keren Rice facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Keren D. Rice
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| Born | 1949 (age 75–76) |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Awards | Order of Canada |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Linguistics |
| Institutions | University of Toronto |
Keren D. Rice OC (born 1949) is a Canadian linguist. A linguist is a scientist who studies languages. She is a professor of linguistics at the University of Toronto. She also helps lead the Centre for Aboriginal Initiatives there. This center supports Indigenous communities and their cultures.
Studying Languages
Keren Rice earned her PhD in 1976 from the University of Toronto. Her main study was about the sounds of the Hare language. This is an Indigenous language spoken in Canada.
She has written many books and articles about languages. She focuses on Athapaskan languages, which are a group of Indigenous languages. Keren Rice is an expert in the Slavey language. This language is spoken by Indigenous people in Canada's Northwest Territories.
Helping Languages Survive
Keren Rice has worked for a long time to help keep the Slavey language alive. She helps people learn and use it. This is called language revitalization. She also studies how language sounds, how words are built, and what they mean.
Awards and Honors
Keren Rice has received many important awards for her work.
- In 2005, she became a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
- In 2009, she was chosen as a fellow of the Linguistic Society of America.
- In 2011, she received the Killam Prize. This is one of Canada's top awards for scientists and scholars.
- In 2013, she won the National Achievement Award from the Canadian Linguistic Association. This award recognized her great contributions to studying languages.
- Also in 2013, she was made an Officer of the Order of Canada. This is one of the highest honors a Canadian citizen can receive.
- In 2015, she became a fellow in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
- In 2015, she received the Pierre Chauveau medal from the Royal Society of Canada. This award was for her ongoing work in studying languages and helping to save them.
Leading Language Groups
Keren Rice has also led several important groups that study languages:
- She was the president of the Canadian Linguistic Association from 1998 to 2002.
- She was the president of the Linguistic Society of America (LSA) in 2012.
- She led the Association for Linguistic Typology (ALT) from 2020 to 2022.
