Originally from Orange County, California, my family moved to small-town Arkansas when I was a young child. I've always been interested in learning new languages, but I fell in love with linguistics while attending the University of Central Arkansas. I became especially interested in Marshallese and other languages in the Austronesian language family when I discovered that Springdale, Arkansas, is home to the largest population of Marshallese people outside the Republic of the Marshall Islands. I moved to Hawai'i last year to pursue my M.A. in Linguistics on the Language Documentation and Conservation track at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa.
In between research and projects, I like to squeeze in some creative writing, SCUBA diving, Tahitian dancing, or a few rounds of trap shooting
My CV is downloadable in pdf format
As with the native language of any population in diaspora, the use of and abilities in Marshallese exhibited by speakers in Oʻahu and Arkansas are presumably different from those of speakers in the Republic of the Marshall Islands, where Marshallese, along with English, is an official language. Because the Marshallese communities on Oʻahu and in Arkansas were relatively recently founded, they present a unique opportunity to examine any phonet-ic shifts or changes in language usage early on. Recognition of any language processes determined
to contribute to language attrition has practical implications for other language communities in diaspora. Data collection via a psycholinguistic tool as well as elicitation tasks (e.g., map tasks, short discussions, and reading passages) is ongoing.
Conference presentations, posters, and papers
Berbusse, Laura and James Grama (2011) Marshallese Intonation: ToBI as a Tool for Language Documentation. Poster presented at the 2nd International Conference on Language Documentation and Conservation: Strategies for Moving Forward. University of Hawai'i at Mānoa.
Berbusse, Laura. "Relative language strength in Majuro, Marshall Islands." Tuesday Seminar lecture series. Department of Linguistics. University of Hawai'i at Mānoa. 26 Oct 2010.
Berbusse, Laura and Mike Clauss (2010) Ḷōmṇak
Majol. Foundation for Endangered Languages XIV. Reversing Language Shift: How to Re-awaken a Language Tradition. University of Wales: Trinity St. David, Carmarthen. (paper & presentation)
Dept. of Linguistics, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa
2nd International Conference on Language Documentation and Conservation
Hawai'i Assessment of Language Access
Language Documentation Training Center
Language Documentation & Conservation
College of the Marshall Islands
Foundation for Endangered Languages
Dept. of Natural Resources and Environmental Management, http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/nrem/
Save the Words
Arkansas CD and Record Exchange
Bekah Baugh Makeup & Special Makeup FX
