Pamela Munro facts for kids

Pamela Munro is an American linguist born on May 23, 1947. A linguist is a scientist who studies human language. Pamela Munro is an expert in Native American languages. She is a respected professor of linguistics at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). She has worked there since 1974.

She earned her PhD degree in 1974 from the University of California, San Diego. Her main teacher there was Margaret Langdon. Pamela Munro's PhD paper was about the grammar of the Mojave language.

What Languages Does Pamela Munro Study?

Pamela Munro's work focuses on the grammar of many different Native American languages. She studies how these languages are built and how they work.

Some of the languages she has studied include:

• The Chickasaw language from Oklahoma.
• The Garifuna language from Central America.
• Imbabura Quichua from Ecuador.
• The Tongva language from the Los Angeles area.
• Tlacolula Valley Zapotec from Mexico.

How Pamela Munro Helps Preserve Languages

Pamela Munro has written many articles and books about these languages. She has also been very important in creating dictionaries for several languages. These dictionaries help people learn and preserve languages like San Lucas Quiaviní Zapotec, Chickasaw language, and Wolof language. Dictionaries are very important tools for keeping languages alive.

She also put together a series of books about college slang. These books are called Slang U.

In 2019, Pamela Munro was honored as the Ken Hale Professor. This was at the Linguistic Institute held by the Linguistic Society of America at UC-Davis.

Selected Works by Pamela Munro

Pamela Munro has published many important works. Here are a few examples that show her diverse interests:

• She helped create the Anompilbashsha' Asilhha' Holisso: Chickasaw Prayer Book in 2012. This book helps preserve the Chickasaw language.
• She wrote Mojave Syntax in 1976, which was her PhD paper.
• She co-authored Ay Baati Wolof: A Wolof Dictionary in 1997. This dictionary helps people learn the Wolof language.
• She also wrote Slang U in 1991, which is a fun look at college slang.
• She helped create Di'csyonaary X:tèe'n Dìi'zh Sah Sann Lu'uc (San Lucas Quiaviní Zapotec Dictionary) in 1999. This dictionary is a key resource for the Zapotec language.
• She co-wrote Chickasaw: An Analytical Dictionary in 1994. This is another important dictionary for the Chickasaw language.
• She also worked on Chem'ivillu' (Let's Speak Cahuilla) in 1981, which helps people learn the Cahuilla language.