Biography

Professor Armani Richards is a sociolinguist and dialectologist specializing in endangered language documentation, lexical mapping, and the structural preservation of regional vernaculars. Her academic work focuses on the evolution of contact languages, Creole grammar systems, and the intersection of linguistic retention and community identity in multilingual frontier environments.

Professor Richards’s current scholarship centers on the documentation and grammatical analysis of Kouri-Vini (Louisiana Creole) and regional French dialects. By employing high-fidelity audio fieldwork, phonetic mapping, and ethical archiving protocols, her research ensures that marginalized vernaculars are preserved with academic precision. Dedicated to community-centered collaboration, she teaches advanced seminars in oral history methodology, field recording techniques, and dialectology.

Education & Academic Background

  • 2004: Ph.D. in Linguistics and Sociolinguistics, University of California, Berkeley

  • 1999: M.A. in Romance Languages and Literatures, University of Michigan

  • 1996: B.A. in Linguistics, Cornell University (Magna Cum Laude)

Selected Honors & Accomplishments

  • Linguistic Society of America Fieldwork Grant (2015)

  • National Endowment for the Humanities Research Fellowship (2010)

  • Endangered Languages Documentation Project Award (2007)

  • UC Berkeley Graduate Research Fellowship (2001–2003)

Areas of Expertise & Research Interest

  • Kouri-Vini (Louisiana Creole) Grammar and Syntax

  • High-Fidelity Oral Fieldwork and Audio Archiving

  • Regional Dialectology and Lexicographical Mapping