Mark Baker (linguist) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mark Baker
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| Born | 1959 (age 65–66) |
| Alma mater | MIT |
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| Doctoral advisor | Noam Chomsky |
Mark Cleland Baker (born in 1959) is an American linguist. A linguist is a scientist who studies human language. He earned his Ph.D. degree from MIT in 1985. Since 1998, he has taught at Rutgers University. Before that, he taught at McGill University from 1986 to 1998.
Baker has spent many years working with the Mohawk language. He also helped the Mohawk people keep their language alive. He writes books about how languages are built, especially complex ones. His work is part of a field called generative grammar.
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What is a Linguist?
A linguist is like a detective for language. They study how languages work. This includes how sounds are made, how words are put together, and how sentences are formed. Mark Baker is a linguist who focuses on the rules and structures of different languages.
Studying Language Structure
Mark Baker is known for his work in generative grammar. This idea suggests that humans have a natural ability to learn language. It also means that all languages share some basic rules. Linguists like Baker try to find these hidden rules. They want to understand how our brains create and understand sentences.
Polysynthetic Languages
Baker has written several books about polysynthetic languages. These are languages where many parts of a sentence can be combined into one very long word. Imagine putting a whole sentence into just one word! For example, in some polysynthetic languages, a single word can mean "I will go to the store quickly."
Working with the Mohawk Language
One of Mark Baker's important contributions is his work with the Mohawk language. Mohawk is a polysynthetic language spoken by the Mohawk people in North America. Baker studied its complex structure. He helped understand how its long words are formed.
Language Revitalization
Besides studying the language, Baker also helped the Mohawk community. He worked as a consultant for language revitalization. This means he helped efforts to teach and preserve the Mohawk language. This is very important for cultures where their traditional language is at risk of disappearing.
Where Mark Baker Teaches
Mark Baker has taught at two major universities. He was a professor at McGill University in Canada for many years. Since 1998, he has been teaching at Rutgers University in the United States. He shares his knowledge of linguistics with new students.
