Wendy Sandler
American-Israeli linguist From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
American-Israeli linguist From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wendy Sandler (born 1949, Cleveland, Ohio) is an American-Israeli linguist who is known for her research on the phonology of Sign Languages.[1]
Wendy Sandler | |
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| Nationality | American-Israeli |
| Occupations |
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| Known for | Research on the phonology of Sign Languages |
| Academic background | |
| Alma mater | University of Texas at Austin |
Sandler earned her PhD in linguistics from the University of Texas at Austin in 1987, with a dissertation entitled "Sequentiality and simultaneity in American Sign Language."[2] A revised version of her dissertation was published in 1989 under the title, "Phonological Representation of the Sign: Linearity and Nonlinearity in Sign Language Phonology."
After her dissertation, Sandler took up a position at the University of Haifa, Israel, where she became a Professor of Linguistics in the Department of English Language and Literature.[3] She was also the Founding Director of the Sign Language Research Lab there.[4]
Sandler has co-written a book on Israeli Sign Language with Irit Meir (Meir & Sandler 2007). With Diane Lillo-Martin, she has co-authored a standard linguistic introduction to the phonology and syntax of American Sign Language (Sandler & Lillo-Martin 2006).[5]
In collaboration with Mark Aronoff, Irit Meir and Carol Padden, Sandler has made fundamental contributions to the investigation of the emergence of language with her research on Al-Sayyid Bedouin Sign Language.[6] This research is featured in Talking Hands, by Margalit Fox.[7]
In December 2017, Sandler won a prize of 150,000 Israeli new shekels from Mifal HaPayis for her conceptual research systems while following new sign languages which are being converted into functional communication, including a sign language of a Bedouin community in Israel.[8]
During 2014–2018, Sandler led a European Research Council (ERC) Advanced Grant entitled, "The Grammar of the Body: Revealing the Foundations of Compositionality in Human Language" (GRAMBY).[9]
In 2020, Sandler was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.[10]
