A phonologist sheds light on languages by studying
the patterns of sounds. Padgett is considered one of the
country's leading young phonologists because he has
pinned down and verified a number of these patterns.
Humans have an extraordinary ability for self-expression. So extraordinary,
in fact, that we speak between five and six thousand distinct languages.
Below the surface of this diversity of tongues lies a kind of subatomic
commonality, linking our languages. Just as we all look different but share
identical elements of DNA, languages that sound quite different often share
many of the same rules.
"The workings of language are very systematic and quite beautiful," says Jaye Padgett, a theoretical linguist whose specialty is phonology. Like a microbiologist who gains insight into organisms by examining their cells, a phonologist sheds light on languages by studying the patterns of sounds.
Padgett is considered one of the country's leading young phonologists because he has pinned down and verified a number of these patterns. Even though he speaks only English, Russian, and a smattering of Spanish, he researches hundreds of different languages--focusing on the relationships of sounds rather than the meaning of words.
One relationship Padgett is researching is called nasal place assimilation--a rule that turns up in many languages, including English, Spanish, Polish, Ponapean (a Micronesian language), Zoque (an indigenous language of Mexico), and Swahili.
According to the rule, the nasal sound in words--the "m" in camper, "n" in canter, and "n" in canker--is always voiced in the same place in the mouth as the sound that follows. In this case the "m" and "p" in camper are articulated at the lips, the "n" and "t" in canter are voiced at the tip of the tongue, and the "n" and "k" in canker are both said using the back of the tongue.
Padgett observes that even though each language operates with its own set of rules, many--like nasal place assimilation--are held in common. "When you find there are patterns you have to ask why they're there. To see patterns and come up with explanations that reduce them to a simple, logical understanding is irresistible," he says.
Theoretical linguistics is a relatively new field, emerging only in the second half of this century. It takes place in a far more abstract realm than the applied linguistics employed in such areas as speech pathology, language instruction, and artificial intelligence research.
UCSC's Linguistics Department, which Padgett joined in 1992, is devoted solely to theoretical research and is widely recognized as outstanding in this domain. The department's stature was formally recognized in 1994 when it earned a top ranking--tenth--from the National Research Council in its reputable ten-year survey of the country's best doctoral programs.
For Padgett, research in such an uncharted field is clearly stimulating. "Half the fun is discovering the mysteries and then figuring out why they exist. When you find something common across languages, ultimately, it sheds light on all people. It shows that the differences are quite superficial and the similarities run deep."
Barbara McKenna