Beyond Time - Linguistics - University of California, Berkeley

has been a friend, supporter, and advisor since before I came to graduate school. She followed
a similar path from Peace Corps to linguistics, and the experiences she has shared
have been great helps and inspirations in my own career.
My two advisors, Lynn Nichols and Larry Hyman, deserve more thanks than I could
express even if I dedicated an entire chapter to the subject. Lynn was my syntax professor
in my first semester at Berkeley, when I was fresh back from Africa with a lot of interest in,
but not much knowledge of, linguistics. She has guided and encouraged me in my work from
the very start, offering practical advice, writing tips, and extremely constructive criticism
of my work at all stages. It was Lynn who first encouraged me to present my research at
conferences, and she has been both a strong advocate and a valued friend and adviser.
Larry has been enormously helpful to me since before I even decided to come to Berkeley.
He has graciously allowed me to work closely with him on a number of projects and
introduced me to a vast community of linguists. If I can consider myself a Bantuist of any
merit whatsoever, it is thanks to him. I cannot think of many people so genuinely kind,
enthusiastic, and generous as Larry, who has not only shared his linguistic expertise with
me, but has also become a great friend. I can always count on him for guidance, and I know
that e-mailed questions will be answered brilliantly within five minutes, day or night – unless
Larry happens to be out of the country, in which case it might take a few hours. I don’t
have the words to tell all that Larry has done for me over the years.
My other two committee members, Line Mikkelsen and Alan Timberlake, have also helped
me tremendously. Line joined my committee only this academic year, and despite her busy
schedule and the sacrifice it must have involved, has carefully read every part of my dissertation,
including the bibliography, and has offered unfailingly insightful and helpful comments
that have greatly shaped the final work. Alan Timberlake’s ideas and his specific comments
on my work have greatly influenced the overarching themes of my dissertation. Personally,
has been very encouraging and supportive throughout the process, and helped me in my first
essays into the world of tense and aspect. I am grateful for his help with this dissertation
and with many papers that preceded it.
A number of other members of the linguistics department have helped me in my research
and dissertation-writing process, including Sam Mchombo, who taught me Chichewa and
answered many Bantu-related questions, Lev Michael and Eve Sweetser, both of whom met
with me to discuss narrative analysis and other aspects of research and fieldwork, department
chair Sharon Inkelas, who guided me in navigating several theoretical and practical issues,
and Susanne Gahl, who taught me everything I know about quantitative analysis. Department
staff members Belén Flores, Paula Floro, and Natalie Babler are the glue that hold our
department together, and none of this would have been possible without their practical help.
I am also grateful to visiting scholar Kems Monaka and theology student Simon Nsielanga
Tukumu, both of whom worked with me on Bantu language projects and who encouraged
me to continue pursuing studies of Bantu languages.
Outside of the department, I am very grateful to Robert Botne for his insights and
comments, which I hope I am representing accurately.
On a personal level, I have been held up throughout my graduate career by my friends
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