Mark E. Karan
Degrees
- Ph.D., Linguistics, University of Pennsylvania, 1996
- M.A., Linguistics, University of North Dakota, 1983
Current positions
- SIL International Sociolinguistics Coordinator (2010 – )
- Ethnologue Regional Research Editor (2008 – )
- SIL Eurasia Area Language Assessment Coordinator (2007 – )
- SIL Eurasia Area Technical Consultant Development Coordinator (2008 – )
Other experience
- Director of the Training Division, Academic Affairs, SIL International (2002 – 2006)
- Director of the Summer Institute of Linguistics at the University of North Dakota (1998 – 2003)
- Director of Academics and Language Programs, SIL Togo/Benin Branch (1984 – 1987), SIL Central African Republic Branch (1990 – 2001)
Language proficiency
- English
- French
- Sango
- German
Research interests
- Dynamics of language shift
- Sociolinguistic Field Methods
Selected publications
Publications in SIL International Bibliography
2011. Understanding and Forecasting Ethnolinguistic Vitality. In Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development. 32(2):137–149.
2001. The Dynamics of Sango Language Spread. Dallas: SIL International.
2000. “Motivations: Language Vitality Assessments Using the Perceived Benefit Model of Language Shift.” In Assessing Ethnolinguistic Vitality: Theory and Practice.ed. by Gloria Kindell & M. Paul Lewis. 65–77. Dallas: SIL International.
Karan, Mark E. and Jürg Stalder. 2000. “Assessing Motivations: Techniques for Researching the Motivations behind Language Choice.” In Assessing Ethnolinguistic Vitality: Theory and Practice.ed. by Gloria Kindell & M. Paul Lewis. 189–205. Dallas: SIL International.
Karan, Mark E. and Thomas W. Marmor. 1985. An Experiment in Computer Assisted Dialect Adaptation. In West African Languages in Education: Papers from the Fifteenth West African Congress, ed. Kay Williamson, 199-226. (Beiträge zur Afrikanistik 27) Vienna: Afro-Pub (Veröffentlichungen der Institute für Afrikanistik und Agyptologie der Universität Wien (38)).
Labov, William, Mark Karan and Corey Miller. 1991 Near Mergers and the Suspension of Phonemic Contrast. Language Variation and Change 3:(1):33–74.