November 6, 1998
Contact: Beth Fox
(615) 322-NEWS (6397)
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November 6, 1998 Contact: Beth Fox (615) 322-NEWS (6397) |
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Alice Carmichael Harris, professor of linguistics and anthropology and chair of the Department of Germanic and Slavic Languages, was awarded the Earl Sutherland Prize for Achievement in Research Nov. 6 during the fall meeting of the Vanderbilt Board of Trust.
The Sutherland Prize, established in 1976, is named for Vanderbilt's late Nobel laureate, Earl W. Sutherland Jr., who won the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine in 1971. The Sutherland Prize consists of a check for $2,500, an engraved julep cup that the winner keeps as a permanent trophy and a silver bowl engraved with the names of the winners, which remains in the recipient's possession for one year. The recipient is selected by the Chancellor at the recommendation of the University Research Council.
An internationally recognized specialist in the languages of the Caucasus, Harris' research areas also include contributions to the theory of syntax, historical linguistics and typology. In January, Harris received the Leonard Bloomfield Award from the Linguistic Society of America for her publication, "Historical Syntax in Cross-Linguistic Perspective," which was co-authored with Lyle Campbell. The biennial award recognizes the book that has "contributed most to the development of our understanding of language and linguistics."
Harris' first book, "Georgian Syntax: A Study in Relational Grammar," became foundational for all contemporary linguistic work on the Georgian language. According to Professor of Slavic Languages and Literatures Antonina Filonov Gove, who nominated Harris, Harris' early work "established Harris as a scholar in this country, Europe and the Soviet Union."
David M. Perlmutter, professor of linguistics at the University of California, San Diego, said of Harris' research in a letter supporting her nomination for the Sutherland Award, "Professor Harris' contribution to linguistics has been extraordinary. I do not use that word lightly. I think it is appropriate because her contribution has been not only great, but unique."
Harris received her master's in linguistics from the University of Essex and her Ph.D. in linguistics from Harvard University. She was a faculty member at Harvard and the University of Tbilisi in the Republic of Georgia before coming to Vanderbilt in 1979. She was a faculty member of the 1991 Linguistics Institute, sponsored by the Linguistic Society of America, held at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Harris was named chair of the Department of Slavic and Germanic Languages at Vanderbilt in 1993.
Harris has authored four books, edited two books, written 37 articles or chapters and reviewed six books. She has received four grants from the National Science Foundation, two grants from the International Research and Exchanges Board and funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities. She is a member of the International Society for Historical Linguistics, the Linguistic Society of America, the Society for the Study of Caucasia, the Societas Caucasologica Europaea and the Modern Language Association.
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