Linguistic Society of America honors Purdue professor as 2026 fellow

A Purdue professor has been honored as a fellow of the Linguistic Society of America (LSA) for her more than five decades of service to language communities.

One of the world’s leading figures in sign language linguistics, Ronnie Wilbur is a professor in Purdue’s Department of Linguistics in the School of Interdisciplinary Studies, College of Liberal Arts. She is also one of six individuals selected for the Class of 2026 fellows and celebrated during the 2026 LSA Annual Meeting, Jan. 8-11. The LSA fellow distinction is awarded to association members who have made distinguished contributions to the discipline of linguistics.

While Wilbur’s early research focused on the syllable structure and phonological rules of American Sign Language (ASL), her scholarship has extended to cross-linguistic documentation and is reflected in a publication record of over 230 works, including the first textbook on sign language structure. Her research has been supported by more than $5 million in National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health grants.

Wilbur pioneered the study of sign language prosody, showing how intonational and rhythmic structure are conveyed through both manual and nonmanual signals such as eyeblink, brow raise and mouth movement. This work provided the first integrated theory of prosodic domains in ASL and across signed languages. She also demonstrated that facial expressions and body posture serve as grammatical operators marking scope and information structure — discoveries that recast sign languages as indispensable evidence for linguistic typology and theory and as an additional window into the neural and cognitive processing of language independent of speech.

“I am grateful to the LSA for recognizing my contributions to sign language linguistics,” Wilbur said. “Like any spoken language, sign languages have their own systems of grammar that are integral to effective communication. To be acknowledged for the role I have played in helping advance the understanding of this underexplored linguistic system, and impacted Deaf education and advocacy, is an incredible honor.”

In addition to her scholarly excellence, Wilbur is an accomplished teacher and mentor. She was honored in Purdue’s Book of Great Teachers (1999) and received the Best Teacher Award from the Society of Professional Journalists in 1991.

Wilbur has had a lasting impact on Deaf education and advocacy through her service to language communities, government, nonprofit organizations and industry. She has co-developed an NSF-funded software for ASL math education in grades K-2, directed a bilingual Spanish-English Speech-Language Pathology training program and led NIH training grants in communicative disorders for over two decades. Through the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, she has shaped national policy on language intervention and communication for nonspeaking individuals.