Biography
Dr Alice Gaby is an Associate Professor in Linguistics at Monash. Her research explores semantic and structural typology; the relationship between language, culture and cognition; and the documentation and analysis of endangered languages, especially those of the Australian continent.
Among other positions, Alice is Director of Monash’s Graduate Research Program in Linguistics & Applied Linguistics, Vice-President of the Australian Linguistics Society and Deputy Chair of the Board of Living Languages, which provides grassroots training to people and communities doing language work in Australia.
Much of her research focuses on the languages spoken in and around the community of Pormpuraaw (Cape York Peninsula, Australia), in collaboration with speakers of Paman languages. For Alice, their knowledge has underscored the importance of language documentation, especially in contexts of language obsolescence.
Alice’s PhD research focused on writing a grammar for the Indigenous Australian language of Kuuk Thaayorre, spoken by around 200 people from Pormpuraaw.
